Sudan’s army has halted a rebel offensive in the increasingly unstable Blue Nile region, killing around 40 Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) fighters and destroying key military equipment, an army spokesman said. Colonel Sawarmi Khaled Saad claimed the attack took place in Serkom, close to the border between Ethiopia and southern Sudan. Sudanese military sources have claimed one rebel tank and two other vehicles were destroyed in clashes. Commander of Sudan’s Fourth Infantry Division also said “a lot of military hardware” had been either destroyed or seized. SPLM-N spokesman Amo Nicothelo confirmed a rebel offensive on government positions took place in Serkom, 20 kilometres north-west of Kurmuk, where the organisation’s Blue Nile headquarters are based. The movement has stepped up military campaigns in the region in recent months. Negotiations between the two sides, originally planned for Sunday, have been mired in controversy after the Sudanese government refused to sit down for talks.