KHARTOUM - Rebels clashed with Sudanese government forces in the oil-producing border state of South Kordofan during an Islamic holiday this week, both sides said, each claiming victory over the other.
Sudan's regions bordering newly-independent South Sudan have been convulsed by conflict since last year, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, according to the United Nations.Aid agencies have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in the border states as food stocks dwindle. The fighting has also stoked tensions between Juba and Khartoum and complicated efforts to resolve partition-related disputes.
The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) said it fought off government "forces and militias" that attacked a village near the Abu Kershola settlement in South Kordofan's northeast on Wednesday, and repulsed another attack on a village near Rashad on Thursday.
Fighting continued on Friday in the al-Murib area, the rebels said in a statement.
