Adam Saleh Abkar, spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) under the leadership of Minni Minawi, said that forces joined between a branch of the SLM headed by Abdel-Wahed Mohamed Ahmed Al-Nur and the Liberation and Justice's Ali Carabino.

The joint forces managed to push back the government forces made of more than 150 vehicles, tanks and planes in clashes that began at dawn on Tuesday in Al-Fashir, Abkar said.

He added that the government forces suffered huge losses and a helicopter was shot down near the mosque of Shala in Al-Fashir.

Abkar said that these government forces are the same ones that besieged and raided the Zamzam camp before and that the clashes can only continue.