Today on November, 3, 2011, the gallant forces of South Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SSLM/A) captured Nhialdiew (35 km from Bentiu town) after battling 5,000 SPLA forces for the last three days.

The town is completely liberated and 125 SPLA soldiers, with one Colonel and five Captains, voluntarily joined the SSLA. Around 50 SPLA soldiers have been killed and thirty wounded. The wounded SPLA soldiers are under the custody of the SSLA and are being accorded the protection of international laws of war which obligate the SSLA to treat war prisoners humanely.

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No fewer than 136 people have been confirmed dead in the wake of the simultaneous bomb attacks and shootings in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, at the weekend.

Sources with the National Emergency Management Agency, who visited the state hospital in Damaturu, confirmed that of the 136 who died, 135 were male and one was female. In addition, 17 people were injured, comprising 13 male and four female.

The wave of bomb attacks in Yobe and Borno States prompted President Goodluck Jonathan to cancel his scheduled trip to Bayelsa State to attend the wedding of his brother, in order to focus on the security situation in north-east Nigeria.

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Sudanese armed forces seized the rebel stronghold of Kurmuk in Blue Nile state, both sides said on Thursday, after two months of heavy fighting in the state on the border with newly independent South Sudan.

“Our troops entered the town of Kurmuk, expelled the insurgents and killed and wounded many (of them) and they are now cleansing the town,” Sudan’s defence ministry website said.

Violence in Sudanese border states has soured talks between Khartoum and former civil war foe South Sudan who have yet to resolve issues such as how to share oil revenues or other assets after South Sudan seceded as part of a 2005 peace deal.

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Hundreds of rebels have been killed in Sudan’s South Kordofan state following clashes with the army, officials have said - claims denied by the rebels.

Governor Ahmed Haroun said the SPLM-North rebels were killed when the army repelled an assault on Talodi city.

But a rebel spokesman said fighting was continuing and “many” government troops had been killed.

Talodi lies near the border with South Sudan, which became independent from Sudan in July.

The BBC’s James Copnall in Khartoum says capturing the strategic city of Talodi would be a major success for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North rebels.

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Suspected Kenyan fighter jets bombard Jilib town in Middle Juba in southern killing at least 10 people, reports said Sunday.

Local inhabitants said two war aircrafts hit Jilib town at least 4 missiles. Some of them landed inside and others struck outskirts.

Locals added that the bombardment targeted al-Shabaab food distribution area. Some 10 people were killed and 45 others wounded.

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Conflicting accounts emerged Thursday over whether the extremist group al-Shabaab has signaled a desire to negotiate with Kenya amid a Kenyan military offensive targeting the group.

“They want to talk,” said a Kenyan official who did not want to be named because he is not authorized to talk to the media.

A spokesman for the Kenyan government, however, disputed that account and said Kenya wouldn’t talk with al-Shabaab even if the group did want to negotiate.

“al-Shabaab has not contacted Kenya in any way,” said the spokesman, Alfred Mutua. “There are no plans whatsoever for Kenya to negotiate with al-Shabaab. Kenya does not negotiate with outlawed groups.”

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At least three people have been killed and several more injured after sporadic gun-battle between Somali government soldiers backed by Kenyan military and al-Shabaab erupted in the village of Busar outskirts of Elwak town in Gedo region of southern Somalia.

The combat flared up after Somali soldiers and Kenyans attacked the village to flush out Al shabaab from there.

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