Sudan: “hundreds” of rebels killed in South Kordofan
Sudanese children gather outside huts in Kadugli in the tense border region of South Kordofan where fighting erupted in June between government forces and ex-rebels with strong ties to South Sudan, on October 21, 2011.
The governor of Sudan's South Kordofan state says hundreds of rebels were killed Monday in clashes with the army.
"Hundreds of soldiers from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-North) were killed during an attack on the city of Teludi this morning," Ahmed Haroun said, according to BBC News.
The oil-rich South Kordofan state borders South Sudan, which became independent in July. It has seen violent clashes since June between the Sudanese army and rebels once allied to southern rebels, Agence France-Presse says.
More from GlobalPost: Sudan accused of war crimes in South Kordofan
According to AFP, a Sudanese army spokesman said that more than 700 rebel fighters tried to attack Teludi on Monday morning.
"The armed forces waited for the invaders to arrive on three fronts with equipment and on several vehicles, but in an hour the armed forces and popular defense forces beat back the attack, causing heavy losses," spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Saad told AFP.
The rebels have not commented on the army's claims.
More from GlobalPost: Opinion: Time to act on atrocities in Sudan
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!