A combination of armed militias and Sudanese government forces repelled an SPLA-N offensive in the northern part of South Kordofan State just over one week after the two forces clashed in North Kordofan’s Umm Rawaba.

The attack took place May 5 in the town of Umm Bermbeita, near the border between North and South Kordofan. At around 6:30 am, around 200 SPLA-N soldiers attempted to attack a SAF garrison in the town. The fighting lasted around 2 hours 30 minutes, and the SPLA-N were eventually driven out by militias forces located in the area, backed by tanks as well as Antonov and MiG airplanes bombing in the area.

At least five SPLA-N soldiers were wounded in the attack, and three were brought to the Mother of Mercy hospital in Gidel for further treatment. According to soldiers involved in the battle, Sudanese forces in the area were given advanced warning of the attack from local militias, which spotted the SPLA-N troops as they entered the town.

31 year-old Hachim Musa is one of the soldiers wounded in the battle and brought to Gidel for treatment.

“While we were waiting in the river bed three shinabla women that were herding goats saw us from far and started running away. The soldiers ran after the women to stop them from alerting the Militias of Shinabla that were outside Um Barmbeita. We arrested two of the women but the last woman ran away screaming and that alerted the Militia and they came and started attacking us from the bush,” he said.

After fighting broke out between the local militia and the SPLA-N, Musa said SAF forces began shelling and dropping bombs on SPLA-N positions. Musa and the other soldiers were wounded in the shelling. After engaging the SAF and Militia forces, the soldiers were eventually forced to retreat, leaving the area in SAF control.