Sudan army regains control of Kordofan garrison, capital shelled

The spokesman of the Sudanese Army (SAF) announced the recapture of the Dandor garrison near South Kordofan’s capital from rebel forces. SPLA-N claims its withdrawal was “tactical” and both sides confirmed Kadugli was shelled.   SAF Colonel Al Sawarmi Khalid Saad affirmed during a press conference in Khartoum that his troops are again in control of the Dandor garrison, which rebel forces seized on Monday.Dandor is located 18 kilometers east of Kadugli, the state’s capital, which according to Saad had many of its neighborhoods shelled by the rebels in revenge for the garrison’s takeover. The spokesman said the situation in Kadugli is under control and that SAF is in full command of the town. 10 aircraftsRebel movement SPLA-N announced its withdrawal from Dandor “after fierce battles against the government” on Wednesday that started at 8:00am and ended at 3:00pm.“SAF used all kinds of weapons. It also used 10 aircrafts for its airstrikes: two Antonov airplanes, four helicopters and four MiGs. The airplanes targeted civilian areas, hence our tactical withdrawal. We wanted to avoid casualties”, rebel spokesman Arnu Ngutulu Lodi told Radio Dabanga. He affirmed SPLA-N did lose any fighters or equipments during their departure. The movement will now “regroup” and attack the government even more “violently”, Lodi warned. The rebels admittedly shelled the headquarters of SAF in Kadugli following Wednesday’s battles. They also destroyed ammunition and supplies of the army stocked at the Abu Ghamra military camp, located 10km from the capital. SPLA-N said the shelling in and around Kadugli comes in response for airstrikes on civilian areas by the army.Related: Sudan SPLA-N claims control of Dandor garrison near Kadugli (16 April 2013)