Agar, al-Hilu fighters clash again in Blue Nile: spokesperson
February 18, 2018 (KHARTOUM) The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N Agar) led by Malik Agar said its fighters in the Blue Nile have been attacked by forces belonging to the SPLM-N al-Hilu faction.
The Sudanese army has been fighting the SPLM-N rebels in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan, also known as the Two Areas since 2011.
The SPLM-N is now divided into two factions: one led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu and the other led by Malik Agar. The rift emerged last year over the right of self-determination and other organisational issues.
In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Sunday, SPLM-N Agar spokesperson Mubarak Ardol said an SPLM-N al-Hilu force stationed at Ras Al-khor on Saturday moved to Gouz Al-Gamamat area on its way to the SPLM-N Agar controlled areas in Tanfona.
He pointed out that forces from the two factions have clashed in Gouz Al-Bagar area from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm (local time) on Saturday, saying clashes were still ongoing until the moment of writing the statement.
Ardol stressed their fighters destroyed a T-55 tank and two vehicles carrying 14.5 mm machine gun and DShK 12.7 mm heavy machine gun.
He added they received information last week that al-Hilu has ordered Josef Tika to attack Agar’s positions in the Blue Nile.
According to Ardol, Tika was hesitant to carry out al-Hilu’s orders in the beginning because he thought such an attack is useless, pointing out that al-Hilu had dispatched ammunition to Tika for that purpose.
As a result of the rift between Agar and al-Hilu, the Blue Nile state witnessed in June and August 2017 tribal clashes between the Angsana of Malik Agar and the Uduk, an ethnic group supporting self-determination led by Tika.
(ST)