As Sudan gears up for general elections in April, the country's president, Omar al-Bashir, has ramped up the fight against rebel forces across the country. Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, has vowed to end the rebellions against his government by the time of the elections.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees warned at the end of January that fighting between government troops and the Sudan People's Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N) in the southern provinces of South Kordofan and Blue Nile has sent new waves of refugees across the border into the neighboring nation of South Sudan. According to UNHCR, 3,000 Sudanese have arrived in South Sudan since Dec. 23, with more than 500 people coming each week.
Fighting between the Sudanese government and the SPLA-N in Blue Nile and South Kordofan has been fierce since June 2011, when a 2005 peace agreement fell apart. The rebels have been at odds with Khartoum for decades. They fought as part of the southern army during the civil war, but split when South Sudan gained independence in 2011.
Nuba Reports, an independent group of journalists, obtained dramatic footage of latest battles in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan. The videos also show government troops traveling through the region, rebel fighters taking over army supplies and desperate civilians fleeing the violence.
"Yesterday we witnessed the fighting in Angartu," refugee Ibrahim Bargil told Nuba Reports, referring to a town in South Kordofan. "The bombing was too intense and completely random, so people were terrified and left Angartu."
Angartu, which is near the rebels' capital of Kauda, has been at the center of recent fierce fighting between the SPLA-N and Sudanese government troops.
The government has launched its largest offensive since 2011, according to Nuba Reports, and at least 10,000 people have been displaced because of the violence this fighting season alone.
Civilians who fled this January told UNHCR of massive air bombardments and fierce ground attacks.
Watch the full report by Nuba Reports above, and check out the Nuba Reports website for more information.