A Sudanese rebel faction ends the ceasefire after the latest fighting with the armed forces in South Kordofan

The group promises to “liberate the entire region” amid clashes between the Army and the RSF

June 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu has indicated that the ceasefire with Khartoum is no longer in place and has branded the Sudanese Army as “occupier” after the fighting that have been going on for a week between the two parties in the state of South Kordofan, in the midst of the war between the Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Mohamad Yusef Ahmed al Mustafa, a senior official of this armed faction, has attributed the clashes to the death of a militiaman at the hands of the Army and the military’s refusal to allow him to be buried, a reason that led the group to resort to “self-defense “to try to recover the body.

Thus, he has pointed out in statements made to the Radio Dabanga station that the group will fight to “liberate the entire region” and has shown the commitment of the faction headed by Al Hilu to the “protection of civilians” in the liberated areas, while that he has charged against the Army for its “threat” against civilians.

The Sudanese army last week accused the group of attacking its forces, saying the fighting had resulted in “enormous losses” on both sides. In this sense, he stressed that it had been a “treacherous attack” given the ceasefire renewed by the parties on an annual basis in view of their talks regarding a possible peace agreement.

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.