Search
  1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Sudan
  • News

Blue Nile offensive "intercepted" rebels say

    NAIROBI

    The Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) says it has repulsed an attack by government forces in Benderu, southern Blue Nile. Spokesman for the SPLA Samson Kwaje told IRIN on Tuesday that the SPLA had "intercepted" about 1,000 soldiers from Brigade 97 of the Sudanese Army, and captured a number of heavy weapons, including two T-52 tanks and a number of transport vehicles.

    According to Kwaje, about 157 government soldiers were killed, and more than 100 wounded. Four Prisoners Of War (POW) were taken by the SPLA, Kwaje said. The government offensive aimed to attack Qaysan and Kurmuk, on the Ethiopian border, Kwaje said. Kurmuk, a strategic border town, has been in the hands of the SPLA since 1997. Kwaje denied that the SPLA used the border town for food supplies, and said the SPLA was "successfully cultivating in Blue Nile" to support itself.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join