Rebels from Sudan’s Darfur region have attacked a city in a neighbouring state, taking their fight closer to Khartoum.
Fighters stormed Um Rawaba, in North Kordofan state, about 500km south of the capital, but denied accusations of pillaging.
Reports from Khartoum, said witnesses claimed seeing rebels looting a market and several banks during the attack on Saturday.
Martin said the attack comes in the wake of increased fighting in South Darfur over the past few weeks, which has displaced thousands of people.
“This is a significant shift in the war in Sudan,” Abdel Wahid Mohammed al-Nur, who heads a faction of Darfur’s Sudan Liberation Army, told AFP.
“We are heading to Khartoum,” he said. “This is not a joke.”
The move marks the biggest push yet by a rebel alliance that includes the SLA and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), and seeks to topple President Omar al-Bashir.
In 2011, JEM teamed up with the the SLM Abdul Wahid, and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North), which took up arms in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states around the time of South Sudan’s secession.
They formed the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF), which says it fights to topple Bashir to secure a fairer share of government in a country dominated by three Arab tribes.
Fighting had previously been limited mainly to the remote regions of Darfur and South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, which border South Sudan.
Martin said Saturday’s attack was unusual because it was lay outside of these current areas of conflict.
Sudan started peace talks with the SPLM-North on Wednesday after a thaw in relations with South Sudan.
The government wants to broker a regional deal in South Kordofan and Blue Nile to end the conflict.
The potential deal not only poses a threat to the SRF, but could split the SPLM-N as some leaders remain loyal to the rebel alliance whereas others want to sign up to the local settlement.
Talks broke down on Saturday following disagreements over the issue of humanitarian access, but are expected to reconvene at a later date.
Martin said violence on the ground often increased when there are talks surrounding a potential ceasefire. In a statement, the SPLM-N confirmed it had been involved in fighting in South Kordofan, but took no responsibility for clashes in the north.
