Civil War Escalates In Sudan's Oil State

Sudan Oil State Rebels Say Repulsed Government Advance -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Rebels in Sudan's main oil state said on Friday they had killed scores of government troops in one of the largest clashes reported in the South Kordofan region in recent months.

Sudan's armed forces were not available to comment on the report by the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N). Access to South Kordofan, which borders newly independent South Sudan, is restricted and it was not possible to verify the report independently.

"The SPLM-N were able to kill 70 of the enemy forces," the rebels said in a statement, adding that seven insurgents died.

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Update: Major battle in South Kordofan: Sudan rebels -- AFP

My Comment: With Sudan's ties to Iran being questioned .... coupled with an escalation in the South Kordofan conflict .... the Sudanese government should not be surprised that U.S. sanctions are NOT going to be removed.

The War In Southern Kordofan Continues

Southern Kordofan: Unfinished Business -- Al Jazeera

With exclusive access, Al Jazeera investigates a hidden war in the remote state of Southern Kordofan in Sudan.

Sudan, once Africa's biggest country, has been in conflict for decades. The mainly African south and predominately Arab north fought for almost 40 years over the past six decades over differences in ideology, politics, resources, land and oil.

The most recent war raged from 1983 to 2005, claiming the lives of at least two million people and leaving another four million displaced.

When South Sudan became independent in July 2011, it was supposed to usher in a new period of peace and stability in the region.

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Update: In Sudan’s Nuba Mountains, Rebels Make Gains — and Talk of Marching on Khartoum -- Time

My Comment: This conflict shows every sign that it will escalate.

George Clooney's Satellite Project Shows Preparations For Major Offensive

Sudan Military May Be Poised For Major Offensive -- Voice of America

Analysts say new satellite images of Sudan’s Southern Kordofan State indicate a major government military offensive is about to begin against the Nuba people. The images were released Wednesday by the Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP).

Government forces have been fighting the rebel SPLA-North Sector in Southern Kordofan, causing thousands of civilians to flee to South Sudan.

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My Comment: Russian peacekeepers have been ordered out of South Sudan, tribal violence is running amok, refugee camps being bombed .... yup .... civil war and tribal strife are now gripping the region. Throw in the fact that Sudanese military are now mobilizing their forces in the region .... that's just more fuel to the fire.

Heavy Fighting Reported In Sudan's South Kordofan

South Kordofan Unrest: Sudan 'Kills Hundreds' Of Rebels -- BBC

Hundreds of rebels have been killed in Sudan's South Kordofan state following clashes with the army, governor Ahmed Haroun has said.

He said the SPLM-North rebels were killed when the army repelled an assault on the city of Teludi.

The rebels have not commented on the claims but previously accused the army of "ethnic cleansing" in the oil-rich area.

The state borders South Sudan, which became independent in July.

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More News On Fighting In South Kordofan, Sudan

Hundreds of rebels killed in Kordofan clashes, claims governor -- The Telegraph
Sudan: Hundreds of Rebels Killed in Southern Kordofan -- Voice of America
Hundreds of rebels killed in Kordofan clashes: governor -- AFP
Hundreds of rebels killed in clashes in southern Sudan: governor -- Xinhuanet
Sudan, rebels say fighting in southern oil state -- Swiss Info/Reuters
South Sudan offers oil, money if Khartoum gives up Abyei -- Brecorder
Sudan rules out Abyei swap deal with south -- Sudan Tribune
Either hunger or bombs threaten Sudan -- Sunday Independent
From Sudan, a Glimpse of a New Conflict -- New York Times

Mass Graves Discovered In Sudan

Images Show Mass Graves In Sudan, Group Says -- New York Times

KAMPALA, Uganda — A satellite imagery project monitoring parts of Sudan says it has found new evidence of mass graves in the troubled Nuba Mountains region, where the government has recently waged a fierce campaign to stamp out rebels.

In a report scheduled to be published Wednesday, the Satellite Sentinel Project contends that as many as eight mass graves have been dug in the area since June, including two new sites discovered in the past week. It says the images show body bags, vehicles and machinery used to dispose of the dead.

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Update: Sudan: Clooney's group makes new charges of mass graves -- Global Post

My Comment: Sudan is .... of course .... denying all of these accusations.

Sudan Continues Its War In The Nuba Mountains Of South Kordofan

The Siege At Kadugli: Sudan's Very Un-Safe Haven -- Turtle Bay/Foreign Policy

With the world's attention riveted last month to the coming birth of Africa's newest nation, South Sudan, Khartoum opened a new military front in northern Sudan, battling forces from the country's Nuba Mountains region and targeting civilians and U.N. workers.

On June 5, the Sudanese armed forces, and pro-government militias surrounded Kadugli, the Nuban capital of Southern Kordofan, triggering a resumption of fighting between government troops and Nuban members of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army. The Sudanese action was intended to press thousands of local Nuban troops that once fought alongside Khartoum's southern rivals to disarm or to immigrate to the south.

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Update #1: UN: ‘Strong Evidence’ of Atrocities in Sudan’s Southern Kordofan -- Voice of America
Update #2: UN experts alarmed over atrocities in Sudan’s Southern Kordofan region -- UN News Centre

My Comment: Whether it is in Darfur, South Sudan, and now in Southern Kordofan .... the Khartoum government is always in the middle of these conflicts. Am I the only one who sees a pattern here.

The Conflict In South Sudan Continues

We Are Ready To Take Khartoum, Say Militias Allied To South Sudan -- The Independent

A day after losing one-third of its territory to the newly independent South Sudan, the government of Omar al-Bashir is facing a new threat from rebels in the Nuba Mountains who have vowed to "march on Khartoum".

After fighting off government forces that last month tried to disarm them in violation of international agreements, rebel leaders said yesterday that they were close to recapturing Kadugli, the capital of Sudan's oil-rich Southern Kordofan state. "First we take Kadugli, then [the garrison town] El-Obeid, then Khartoum," said Brigadier Said Ketchum, one of the leaders of the resistance which this weekend declared self-rule in the Nuba Mountains.

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My Comment: William L. Saunders from NRO just returned from this part of Sudan. His observations and comments are a must read .... the link to his post is here.

Ethnic Cleansing In The Sudan State Of South Kordofan

Stories Of Death, Terror From Sudan's Nuba Mountains

KAUDA, Sudan — At the crest of a steep green mountainside in central Sudan, Gasim Ibrahim huddled in the shadow of a huge boulder, listening in fear for the whining drone of planes 10,000 feet overhead.

A bomb from one of those planes in mid-June killed his sister, Faozi Ibrahim, who was six months pregnant, so Gasim and his extended family — more than a hundred of them — climbed here for safety.

"I will stay here as long as the war continues," he said.

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More News On What Is Happening In The Sudan State Of South Kordofan

Sudanese Struggle to Survive Endless Bombings Aimed to Quell Rebels -- New York Times
Nuba mountains bear scars of Sudan's forgotten war -- The Guardian
Video shows war spoils in Sudan's Nuba Mountains -- Seattle PI/AP
UN says Sudan's army continues attacking civilians -- Mercury News/AP
Northern Sudan Reinforces Military in Southern Kordofan State -- Voice of America
Sudanese military deployments tracked from space -- UPI
Satellite shows military convoy near disputed Sudanese region -- Foreign Policy
Sudan partition leaves rebel Nuba region feeling betrayed -- The Guardian
Nubians in the cold as Southern Sudan born -- Sydney Morning Herald
Cold blooded mass murder in the Nuba Mountains -- Sudan Tribune
The United Nations must stay involved in Sudan with others' help -- Nicholas D. Kristof, Seattle Times/New York Times