‘Sudan forces defeated in Blue Nile, chopper downed in Kordofan’: rebels

The armed rebels in Blue Nile claim to have defeated Sudanese military forces in an attack in Alrom in Blue Nile on Monday, which ‘killed dozens of fighters’. In the Nuba Mountains, a Sudanese helicopter was downed on Sunday. 

The spokesman for the SPLM-N, Arnu Ngutulu Lodi, reported that the Sudan Armed Forces suffered “heavy loss of life and military hardware” in the attack in Alrom at 5.30am. 

“The SPLM-N second front in Blue Nile/Sennar captured three prisoners of war,” Lodi said in a statement to Radio Dabanga.

“They found 34 dead on the ground and two destroyed vehicles.”

The rebels lost seven fighters, and 15 were wounded, Lodi said.

The equipment seized by the rebels includes ten trucks, eight Land Cruisers, Katyusha missile launchers, and one T-55 tank, besides various types of ammunition.

South Kordofan

SPLM-N rebels fighting in South Kordofan claim to have shot down a Sudanese helicopter during an attack they carried out against government troops in Um Dorain locality on Sunday.

The rebels claim to have killed 85 soldiers in the attack between El Nogra and El Atmur, east of Um Serdiba, and lost only five rebels on their side, Lodi claimed. They burned down three tanks and a number of vehicles.

The battle, led by Brg.Gen Yagoub Alamin Yagoub, resulted in “more than 195 wounded soldiers” and “17 wounded” of the SPLM-N. 

El Nogra, north of Um Dorain

Military offensive

The Sudanese army claims that it liberated sites from the control of the rebel SPLM-N in South Kordofan at the end of March. The ‘dry-season offensive’ against the rebels which started in January aims to regain control of the Nuba Mountains.

The SPLM-N has issued reports that conflict with the government, claiming that large numbers of soldiers were killed in ambushes and shelling.

Their statement last week reported the destruction of a military garrison north of Delling, where fierce fighting erupted in the first half of March.

In Blue Nile, the SPLM-N’s second front reportedly seized substantial materiel after they ‘heavily defeated’ contingents of the army in Mufu on 5 April.

Impasse

The Sudanese peace negotiations between Khartoum and the armed rebels are still at an impasse. When the mediating African Union’s High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) presented a draft roadmap in a constructive meeting on 19 March, the Khartoum delegation signed immediately. The SPLM-N, the two Sudan Liberation Movements in Darfur, and the National Umma Party refused, however the UN, USA, UK, and Norway have urged them to sign.