Sudanese president vows to crush rebellion by end of 2013

Sudanese President Omar al- Bashir vowed on Thursday to end all armed movements and defeat the rebels of the Revolutionary Front by the end of this year, the official SUNA news agency reported. "The current year will mark the end of armed movements and the rebels of the Revolutionary Front," said al-Bashir addressing a crowd in the North Kordofan state. He added that those who want peace would be welcomed, but those who want to sabotage the government with violence will face the gun, describing the rebels as "agents and saboteurs." Al-Bashir arrived in North Kordofan on Thursday morning to inaugurate a number of development and service projects in the state, including water projects. North Kordofan neighbors South Kordofan which has been witnessing armed clashes between the Sudanese government and rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) northern branch since 2011. In April, the Revolutionary Front, an alliance which brings together the northern SPLM and three major Darfur rebel groups, attacked the North and South Kordofan states. They controlled a strategic area of Abu Karshula before government forces reclaimed the area a month later.