Sudan captures rebel areas in Blue Nile

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has wrestled control of two areas held by the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army North (SPLM/A-N) in Blue Nile State, a pro-government news source reported on Thursday, citing a local official. The deputy governor of Blue Nile, Adam Abakar, told the Sudanese Media Center (SMC) that SAF regained control of Suda and Gam areas in the Angasana Mountains which were previously controlled by the rebels. According to the deputy governor, capturing the two areas came after five days of fighting in which SAF inflicted on rebel forces “great losses in lives and equipment”. Sudanese daily The Sudan Tribune attempted to contact the rebels but they were not immediately available to comment. Adam said that SAF’s “victory” would help to stabilise the agricultural season in the state and the border strip with neighbouring South Sudan. He further claimed that the rebels were using civilians as human shields in their fighting with SAF. Fighting between government forces and the SPLM-N erupted in Blue Nile in September last year, two months after it started in South Kordofan State. The Sudanese government immediately sacked the elected state governor and SPLM-N chairman, Malik Aggar, and declared a state of emergency. The conflict in the two states stems from unimplemented provisions of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between Sudan and South Sudan. Failure to reintegrate SPLM-N fighters, who fought as part of South Sudan’s army during the war, into government forces led to the outbreak of violence after the Sudanese government threatened to disarm the rebels by force.