The UN mission in Sudan calls for an “immediate” end to the fighting and to restore the ceasefire
July 19 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al Hilu has carried out new attacks in recent hours against the Sudanese Army in the state of South Kordofan (south), despite calls of the United Nations to restore the ceasefire.
The rebel group recently restarted its military operations around the cities of Diling and Kadugli after announcing at the end of June that it was ending the ceasefire after clashes in the area, amid the war that broke out in April between the Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The Sudanese Army spokesman, Nabil Abdalá, has assured in statements to the Sudanese news portal Sudan Tribune that the Armed Forces have repelled an attack in the Karkal area, between the two aforementioned towns, although military sources have pointed out that the rebels They have taken control of the area.
Likewise, other sources cited by this medium have highlighted that the Army withdrew on Tuesday from the Al Farshaya military base in the face of the advance of the rebels, although the Sudanese authorities have not yet ruled on the situation on the ground. .
Faced with this situation, the UN Integrated Mission for Transition Assistance in Sudan (UNITAMS) demanded on Tuesday “all the forces involved” to “immediately stop military operations to reduce tensions and prevent an expansion of the conflict.
“We ask you to resume negotiations,” the mission said on its Twitter account, where it also reminded the parties “of their obligation to guarantee the safety of civilians.”
The faction headed by Al Hilu did not join the rebel groups that signed a historic agreement in October 2020 with the transitional authorities, then headed by Prime Minister Abdalá Hamdok, who was overthrown in 2021 after a coup led by the head of the Army, Abdelfatá al Burhan.
The agreement was signed by various groups united in the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) coalition, after which in February 2021 there was a reshuffle to include members of these groups in the Executive. In contrast, the Al Hilu group and the Sudan Liberation Movement rebel group led by Abdeluahid el Nur (SLM-AW) declined to join, although several ceasefires have contained the fighting in the area.
The current hostilities between the Army and the RSF broke out in the context of an increase in tensions around the integration of the paramilitary group within the Armed Forces, a key part of an agreement signed in December to form a new civilian government and reactivate the transition open after the overthrow in 2019 of Omar Hasan al Bashir, damaged by the coup against Hamdok.
