Khartoum — Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) repulsed an attack on its positions southward of the capital of South Kordofan state where they killed over 50 rebels, said Al-Sawarmi Khaled spokesperson in a statement released on Friday .

The Sudanese troops are fighting since more than a year the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan where the rebels are mainly present in southern and eastern parts of the troubled state .

Last October, the SPLM-N shelled the state's capital Kadugli saying they want to export the conflict to the government's zones. SAF from its side, launched a counterattack with heavy aerial raids on the rebel positions to prevent such move.

Al-Sawarmi, in a statement issued late in Friday night, said the Sudanese troops killed more than 50 rebels and destroyed four tanks when the SPLM-N fighters attacked its positions in Harmra and El-Ahmier, two areas located 15 km south of the capital Kadugli.

The military spokesperson said the attack started on Friday morning when the rebels shelled the areas before to engage a large-scale offensive with a big number of fighters and eight tanks aiming to control advanced positions allowing them to shell the capital Kadugli, as he claimed.

Reached by telephone SPLM-N spokesperson Arno Lodi told Sudan Tribune on Saturday morning they did not yet get any details from their troops in the area about this operation.

Al-Sawarni said the army lost a number of soldiers without further details.

The African Union mediation team led by Thabo Mbeki did not yet announce a date for the resumption of humanitarian or political talks between the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N.

Khartoum says Juba must disengage with its former allies before to discuss a political settlement with the rebels.

The SPLM-N and its allied Darfur rebels in the Sudanese Revolutionary Front say they seek to bring down the regime. Also, they demand a holistic peace process to discuss a comprehensive solution for the conflicts in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile.