Sudan recovers Mafo from armed rebels

Sudan’s army has announced it has retaken the Mafo area of the disputed Blue Nile state from armed rebels. A statement by a military spokesperson on Monday claimed rebels had been expelled from the region close to the Ethiopian border, despite being armed with tanks, artillery and four-wheel vehicles. Approximately 66 rebels were killed and 70 others injured, including three high-ranking officers, official statistics reported. The Sudanese army lost "a small number” of soldiers in the firefight. Blue Nile state has witnessed an ongoing rebellion since 2011, following an armed revolt in South Kordofan conducted by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N). The Sudanese government and the SPLM-N have since exchanged intermittent military operations. A military expert, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed Sudan’s army had significantly limited the threat posed by the SPLM-N in Blue Nile, adding the armed group would most likely realign its insurgency to South Kordofan. “Ultimately the SPLM-N will lose because they are fighting a national army,” the source said.