Sudan’s armed forces and militias made a second attempt to recover El Faragil, in Delling, in the border state of South Kordofan from SPLA-North forces on Thursday and both sides claimed victory over the other.
SPLM-North spokesman Arnu Ngutulu Lodi said in an emailed statement that they defeated the NCP militias in El Faragil, a village west of Delling – one of the largest towns in South Kordofan.
He added that they inflicted “heavy losses” on government forces and captured weapons and other military equipment.
Mr Ngutulu said the rebels are still in controlled of the area.
Reuters reported that Sudan’s armed forces spokesman, Al-Sawarmi Khalid, said the rebels had actually lost the battle for El Faragil.
He said the Sudanese forces defeated the SPLA-North and evicted them from the mountains in the El Faragil area adding that the clashes took place over the last two days.
Both sides often make conflicting statements which are difficult to verify independently due to the remoteness of the region and limits on access.