Sudan: September 2, 2002

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Follow-up on the fall of Torit: The Sudanese Army had accused the SPLA of shelling it's positions at Labolo and Torit (1200 kilometers south of capital) on 31 August. The Catholic news agency MISNA reported that the fighting commenced in the early morning hours near Torit, when the Sudanese forces attacked several SPLA posts. The rebels' counterattack carried them inside the city, at around 13:30 local time 31 August. There was no official death toll after the fighting, while the London-based Arabic daily newspaper "al-Hayat" said the army admitted losing Torit to the SPLA. The rebels lost their former headquarters at Torit to government forces in 1992, so this may turn into a major victory for the SPLA. The garrison town controls one of the main roads to the Khartoum government-held town of Juba (Sudan's southern capital). - Adam Geibel