The Sudan People’s Liberation Army – North (SPLA-N) and government forces claim to have inflicted ‘heavy casualties’ on each others' forces in fighting in the Nuba Mountains.

SPLA-N official spokesman Arnu Ngutulu Lodi told Radio Dabanga that on Sunday the rebels launched ground and artillery attacks on the Sudanese government forces in their positions in Kadugli, capital of South Kordofan, as well as the area of Al Atmur to the east of the city.

“We inflicted heavy losses on their forces and equipment,” Lodi said. “An SPLA-N artillery unit shelled the government forces’ artillery headquarters, as well as other military and militia position within the city. Al Atmur was shelled heavily, which destroyed three tanks, 21 other vehicles, and an unknown number of casualties.”

Lodi said that at the time of his statement on Monday, the SPLA-N had partially regained control of the area. This comes after conceding losses to an earlier Sudanese advance. Lodi said that the rebels have lost three men, with 15 wounded in the fighting so far.

The spokesman for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Col. Al-Sawarmi Khalid Saad, said that "the SAF Monday repulsed a rebel attack on the Al Atmur area of South Kordofan, which was recently liberated by the SAF, and killed 110 of the outlaws."

In a statement via the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA), Col. Saad said the battle lasted for three hours at Al Atmur, an area that had been a base for SPLA-N. 

File photo: Forces of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (Wikimedia Commons)