Sudan army, SPLM-N clash and violate ceasefire

The Sudanese army has accused the SPLM-N rebel forces of attacking its soldiers near Kadugli in South Kordofan, after the rebel movement reported that the Sudanese army attacked its position in the area today. The attack violates their unilateral ceasefire and terms drawn up for the lifting of US sanctions against Sudan.

The attack took place in El Mashayesh, 35 kilometers west of Kadugli, the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) spokesman Brig. Ahmed Khalifa El Shami reported to the Sudanese News Agency. One soldier was killed and a number sustained injuries in the fighting with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N).

“The rebel's attack was a flagrant and premeditated violation of the ceasefire,” El Shami said, indicating that the rebel movement has managed “to provoke the government to carry out reactions that affect its international pledges and commitments”.

Earlier today the SPLM-N accused the Sudanese army and allied militias to have launched their dry season offensive against the rebel forces at Krongo Abdalla area, at around 6am on Tuesday.

“It is to be recalled that this offensive came after a well orchestrated political campaign and hate speech against the SPLM-N, and the Nuba people in particular,” their spokesman Arnu Ngutulu Lodi said. “The area of the offensive is heavily inhabited by civilian population. We warned the Sudanese government from using their air force against the civilian population.”

Renewed offensive
The Sudanese army launched its first offensive against the SPLM-N in South Kordofan in June 2011, which heavily affected tens of thousands of civilians in the Nuba Mountains. A renewed offensive would be a violation of the terms that the administration of the former President of the United States Barack Obama stipulated in its recent decision to partially lift the economic sanctions against Sudan. These have been long in place against the Khartoum regime for its support of terrorism and the commission of the violence in Darfur. The US sanctions lifting will commence after a six months reviewing period if Khartoum complies to two conditions: improvement in humanitarian access and an end to military offensives in Darfur, Blue Nile, and South Kordofan.

The Sudanese government has refused to allow humanitarian relief into the areas controlled by the SPLA-N, leaving the population without access to vaccinations or essential medicines. Both sides have extended their unilateral cessation of hostilities for South Kordofan and Blue Nile several times, however, both the Sudanese government and the rebel movements have accused the other of violating it by attacking its forces.

Mass displacement has affected around one third of South Kordofan’s population of approximately 1.4 million. The UN reported that as of October 2014, some two million people have been affected by the conflict, with more than 500,000 having been displaced and about 250,000 of them fleeing to South Sudan and Ethiopia.