Sudanese Forces are massing for an assault on the SPLA-North heartland, just over a week after SRF forces pushed north towards North Kordofan.
One officer in the Sudanese Army who asked to remain anonymous told Nuba Reports around 3000 troops were gathered in the Farsha area, north of Heiban to prepare for assaults on Heiban and Kauda. A resident in the area also reported seeing large numbers of troops.
The SAF officer said this push was part of a renewed government effort to end the war in South Kordofan. “There are new orders that any vehicle even the old and damaged ones should go for military operations,” he said.
“THE END OF THE REBELLION”
“The end of this year will be the end of the rebellion, God willing,” said Sudanese President Omar al Bashir in a speech November 24 in Port Sudan. “Our forces are moving towards Kauda from all directions,” he told the crowds, “we will soon enter it and liberate every inch of this country’s land.”
As the harvest season approaches, many civilians in the Heiban and Kauda areas are worried about the prospect of heavy fighting in and around their homes. “All of our crops are in Heiban and everyone is worried that if they come our crops will be destroyed and we will not have enough food for this year,” said 29-year-old farmer Gamu Alimen.
The buildup comes as Sudan Revolutionary Front troops push further north, into core areas of Sudanese control. Recent SRF assaults on Dilling and Abu Zabad have put Sudan’s North Kordofan state into play in the regional conflict.
The attack of Abu Zabad mirrors SRF’s dramatic but short-lived assault on Umm Ruwaba in North Kordofan last April. That attack was the alliance’s most successful coordinated assault to date as well as its first joint operation outside of South Kordofan.
NEW BATTLEGROUNDS
Dilling is a highly valuable target for the rebels. It sits in the middle of the road linking the South Kordofan capital, Kadugli, with El Obeid – a large town that serves as a launch-point for Sudan Air Force bombing runs in South Kordofan.
While the chronology and details of the fight around Dilling are difficult to independently verify, the SRF claims to control at least 3 fronts to the northwest, west and southeast of Dilling.
The attack on began November 12, when 3 SRF Companies totaling at least 270 assaulted Sudanese Armed Forces in Kurtala, southeast of the city.
SRF forces appear to have pushed very nearly into Dilling following the clash in Kurtala. The rebel group pursued SAF forces to the northwest, where subsequent battles in Deleima and al Hamadi occurred.
The government has since conducted intensive aerial bombardment into the newly SRF-controlled areas. This is the first time – during this or the previous civil war – that conflict has pushed into these areas, making civilians particularly vulnerable.
Residents in Kujuria – just west of Dilling – have reported intensive aerial bombardment in the area beginning November 14. One civilian – who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal – listed the names and ages of five people killed in the bombing. The civilian said another three were injured.
The battle has since ground to a stalemate, with SAF and SRF forces maintaining positions around the town.
SIMULTANEOUS ATTACK
As fighting around Dilling progressed, the SRF launched another attack in Abu Zabad November 17, more than 60 kilometers away in North Kordofan. This is only the second major attack in the state since the war began and the first during the current fighting season. While claimed by the SRF as a whole, the attack was carried out almost entirely by JEM forces. According to one JEM source, high-ranking JEM commander Fidhel Mohamed was killed in the attack.
Both attacks – launched within days of each other, just one month into the current fighting season – suggest a renewed intensity on the part of the rebel alliance as well a desire to push further north towards El Obeid.
Despite the frenzied military activity this season, the rebel alliance is still unable to push into and capture larger towns in the region such as Dilling, and Sudan’s airpower will likely prevent the occupation of any major town.
However the stalemate of the previous fighting season has already been shattered in the past month, with far more intense battles likely on the horizon.
