Sudan confirms control of Rashad

The Sudanese armed forces confirmed through its spokesman Colonel Sawarmi Khaled Saad that it confronted remnants of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) in south Kordofan after 30 attacks in august on a police checkpoint securing Rashad. Sawarmi confirmed in a press statement that the Sudanese military inflicted rebel losses and captured different weapons and ammunition abandoned by rebels as they fled after the attack. The statement added that on the last day of August rebels planted an anti-vehicle mine four kilometers west of the city Rashad on the public highway were citizens cross through. The mine exploded in a civilian car wounding a number of citizens. He added: "News spread in external media about an attack against the town of Rashad, the biggest town in the east of the state, is just lies delivered by rebels to raise the morale of rebels, spread confusion, instability, and stop the agricultural season." The Colonel assured that the Sudanese military is able to secure the agricultural season using all available resources. The SPLA has led a rebel movement against the Sudanese government in the state since last year headed by General Abdul Aziz Adam el-Helw who was the governor of South Kordofan. The movement intensified its operations in the eastern part of the state, which wasn’t affected in the last period by military operations. The movement in its last meeting vowed new military operations against the government to attempt to overthrow the Sudanese regime. The Minister of Information and the spokesman of the government of South Kordofan State Recep Pasha in his interview to Arabstoday said: "The SPLA depends on guerrilla war and hit and run operations in a number of areas in the state." He confirmed that military and security forces confront these operations although negotiations have started between the government and the movement in the north sector in order to discuss the humanitarian situation in south Kordofan. It is expected that negotiations will resume in the coming days to discuss how to solve the crisis in south Kordofan.