SPLM-N fighters kill 18 government soldiers in Blue Nile: spokesperson
April 24, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-N) claimed that rebel fighters killed 18 government troops during clashes in Blue Nile’s Kulgu area on Thursday.
Lodi said that 18 government soldiers were killed in the clashes while the SPLM-N lost one soldier, adding their fighters destroyed three land cruisers and two Ural trucks, as well as seizing three Dushka cannons and 32 Kalashnikov rifles.
The rebel spokesperson further said their troops ambushed government forces last Wednesday in an area which lies between Madeem and Maganza, killing three soldiers and seizing two land cruisers.
He added they are closely monitoring movements of the government army within the framework of the Leave campaign which targets army garrisons and camps.
The Leave campaign was carried out by the opposition forces to boycott the presidential and parliamentary elections, but they decided to continue the popular mobilisation to overthrow the regime of president Omer al-Bashir.
A Sudanese army spokesperson was not available for comment.
In February, SPLM-N claimed that four government soldiers were killed in an ambush on the road linking Kurmuk to Blue Nile state capital Ed-Damazin.
The SPLM-N has been fighting the Sudanese army and their aligned militias in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states since 2011. However, military operations have intensified since January, particularly after the elections.
(ST)