Rebel group accuses Khartoum of violating ceasefire

By Mohammed Amin

KHARTOUM (AA) - A prominent Sudanese rebel group on Wednesday accused the government of violating a three-day-old ceasefire earlier this week.

Arnu Ngutulu Lodi, a spokesman for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM/N), alleged that the Sudanese military had attacked its forces in the volatile Blue Nile region.

In a press statement, Lodi claimed that Sudanese forces backed by pro-government militias had attacked SPLM/N fighters on Monday.

"On Monday at 7:00 a.m. [local time], SPLM/N forces in the Blue Nile region repulsed a raid by National Congress Party forces and militias on a SPLA/N outpost in the Alruum area," Lodi asserted.

"The raid occurred only hours after the NCP regime announced a six-month extension of the so-called ceasefire," he said.

The Sudanese government, for its part, has yet to comment on the rebel group’s claims.

The SPLM/N has been fighting the government in Sudan’s South Kordofan and Blue Nile states since 2011.

Last Sunday, Sudan declared a six-month ceasefire in the conflict-hit regions.

Sudan has vowed to bring peace to Darfur, South Kordofan and the Blue Nile within six months as part of a recent deal between Washington and Khartoum, which includes the lifting of two-decade-old economic sanctions on Sudan.

The deal calls on Sudan to take action against "terrorism", promote peace in Sudan and in neighboring South Sudan, allow humanitarian access into conflict areas, and support efforts to combat Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army group.