20110615
Xinhua
KHARTOUM, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Tension is mounting at Sudan's South Kordofan State amid the escalating armed clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) in the region.

The SAF said its operations were continuing at the western and southern areas of South Kordofan, adding that a group of more than 60 SPLA insurgents has surrendered with all their weapons at Taloudy area in South Kordofan.

"The SAF has continued to pursue the remnants of the SPLA at the western and southern areas of the region and managed to control a number of areas. The army forces' advancement has inflicted great casualties on the SPLA and confiscated a number of vehicles and weapons," official SUNA news agency quoted a military sources as saying.

The SAF earlier announced that it was encountering a rebellion in South Kordofan State which contains most of the oil reserve in north Sudan, and that its military operation in the state targeted the armed rebels only.

"We are targeting a rebellion in South Kordofan State and trying to avoid civilian casualties as much as possible," Al- Sawarmy Khalid Saad, SAF spokesman, said in a statement.

In the meantime, the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) urged all the concerned parties to allow immediate access for the humanitarian aid into the region, while the UN World Food Program (WFP) said in a report that around 60,000 people have fled from South Kordofan.

UNMIS said fighting between the Sudanese government troops and the SPLA forces in the border state of South Kordofan was causing great suffering for the civilians and endangering the relief supply operations.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), for its part, urged the Sudanese government to allow access for humanitarian aid workers to assist the citizens fleeing from the battlefields in South Kordofan State, saying that the humanitarian aid planes were prevented from landing in Kadogli, capital of South Kordofan State, a week ago.

Armed clashes broke out in the oil-rich South Kordofan State on the border between north and south Sudan on June 5 and the fighting increased involving helicopters and artilleries.

The state were under the influence of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) with many armed groups that fought along the SPLA during the civil war between the north and south.

The recent tension between north and south Sudan escalated at a time when south Sudan is preparing to officially declare independence on coming July 9. However, there are still outstanding issues between the two sides including the dispute over the borders, sharing of oil revenues and the belonging of the country's oil-rich area of Abyei.