South Kordofan fighting rumbles on amid mutual claims of victory Article Comments (1) Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 19, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s north-south border state of South Kordofan witnessed fierce battles on Saturday amid reports that the northern army had wrestled control of a strategic base of SPLM insurgents. Military officers wave to supporters at the defence ministry a during a rally to voice support for the northern army, in Khartoum May 26, 2011 (REUTERS PICTURES) Meanwhile, the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in North Sudan has vowed to continue battling the SPLM in South Kordofan until its forces fall back to their previous positions. South Kordofan battles erupted on 6 June as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) of north Sudan moved to disarm armed groups aligned with the SPLM, which rules South Sudan but maintains an opposition party in the north. Over 60,000 have fled the fighting which escalated into artillery and aerial bombardment, according to UN figures. There have also been reports of widespread atrocities committed by SAF and its allied militias against the civilian population, including summary executions, abduction, arbitrary arrest and torture. Sudan Tribune has learned that fierce battles took place on Saturday on the outskirts of Kadugli town. Government sources told Sudan Tribune that SAF had seized an important military base of the SPLM’s leader AL-Hilu after fierce clashes which left a number of causalities on both sides. The sources claimed that the seizure of the base was a “great victory” for the army considering that it was one of the “strategic locations from which Al-Hilu managed his military operations. Meanwhile, the commander of intelligence in SAF’s infantry battalion 14, Hasan Ali, said that three vehicles laden with artillery, arms and ammunition had been seized in Al-Hamrah area east of Kadugli. In a press statement on Sunday, He accused the SPLM of plotting to kill and displace civilians. SPLM’s leader in South Kordofan Abdul Aziz Adam Al-Hilu on Saturday claimed his forces were in control of large parts of South Kordofan. "We want to confirm to you that fighting is still ongoing within the city of Kadugli and that the SPLA is still in control of important locations within the city," the SPLM’s figure said in a press statement. "We confirm to you that a number of localities are entirely under the control of the SPLA by 100% which are the localities (Dallami, Haiban, Alburam, Um Dorain) in addition to more than 60 other garrisons scattered along the state had been liberated completely from the grip of the army of the National Congress Party," he added. Meanwhile, the NCP’s secretary of political affairs Qutbi Al-Mahdi declared that the army would continue its battles against the SPLM in South Kordofan, saying that his party rejects any ceasefire or initiation of negotiation before the SPLA moves back to the position it held before the outbreak of the violence on 6 June. He told reporters in Khartoum on Sunday that the fighting would not stop until the CPA implementation is complete and the popular consultation in South Kordofan is organized. Qutbi accused the SPLM of violating the CPA and held “imprudent” Al-Hilu responsible for the current turmoil, saying that he refuses to negotiate on any basis and has dragged citizens to the throes of war (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
