‘Five Sudanese govt troops killed’ in attack on SPLM-N positions

The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) faction of Malik Agar claims to have killed five government troops wounding of others in a joint attack by Sudanese army and militia forces on its positions in Bau locality in Blue Nile state on Friday morning.

The SPLM-N also claims to have seized a number of weapons and a quantity of ammunition.

The movement’s Chief of Staff, Gen Ahmed El Omda, issued a statement that the government forces moved from Taliyat El Khazan garrison to the area of Tireik in El Angessana Hills. The rebel forces confronted them and dispersed the attack.

The statement pointed out that the movement lost two fighters: 1Sgt Sadig Saballo, and Sgt Haroun Burkan. Two others were wounded including 2Lt Abdallah Khamis.

The statement said the attack was "part of a series of ongoing attempts by government forces and militias to evacuate the SPLM-N forces from El Angessana Hills".

Ceasefires

Both factions of the SPLM-N have declared unilateral ceasefires in their conflict with the government in the past.

The head of the African Union High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) has held talks in Juba with South Sudanese president Salva Kiir, focused on coordinating their efforts to achieve peace in Sudan.

President Kiir briefed AUHIP chairman Thabo Mbeki on the ongoing efforts to reunite the two factions of the SPLM-N (one faction led by Abdelaziz El Hilu, the other by Malik Agar) and the consultations with the Sudanese government in Khartoum.

A delegation from the SPLM-N Malik Agar faction held talks with AUHIP head Thabo Mbeki in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in mid-November.

A meeting was held between the Sudanese government and SPLM-N Abdelaziz El Hilu faction over the resumption of peace negotiations concluded without significant progress earlier this month.

The rebel faction and the Sudanese government were invited to several days of consultations in Addis Ababa and Johannesburg in October under the chairmanship of the African Union High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), to discuss the draft framework agreement for 2014, the draft agreement on the cessation of hostilities for humanitarian purposes, and thirdly the Roadmap agreement of 2016.