Ugandan forces and rebels attack Sudanese regions

A Sudanese military statement said yesterday that the Ugandan forces and Sudanese rebel forces launched an attack yesterday in East Equatoria state in southern Sudan.

The spokesman of the Sudanese armed forces, Abdel-Rahman Sir El-Khatim, said in a statement that the invasion began at half past 5:30 a.m. local time yesterday with shelling, followed by repeated attacks by tanks, machine guns, and artillery.

El-Khatim added that the Sudanese forces were able to repulse these attacks but said that battles are continuing at some sites.

The statement added that the battles resulted in the death of three persons in the Sudanese armed forces and injured five more, while about 50 of the attackers were killed, the majority from Ugandan troops.

It said that Sudanese forces were able to destroy three tanks, a trunk full of weapons, and three artillery batteries.