A new rebel group from the western Sudanese Darfur region said it attacked government forces in an area neighbouring Darfur today, killing 150 soldiers and policemen and stealing equipment.
But Sudan's official news agency SUNA said the rebel attack killed only two policemen and three civilians in the town of Ghubeish in Western Kordofan state, which borders Darfur. SUNA said government forces repelled the attack.
It was not possible to independently confirm either report.
The leader of the Sudanese National Movement for the Eradication of Marginalisation (SNMEM), which first emerged when it claimed an attack last week on a small oil installation, said his forces attacked six army and police bases in Kordofan.
"Today we attacked government forces in six places and inflicted complete destruction and took their equipment," Ali Abdel Rahim el-Shindy told Reuters from an undisclosed location in central Sudan.
"We killed 150 of their forces, with very small losses on our side," he said, adding the rebels now controlled the bases.
SUNA said only five people were killed and three vehicles, including a police car, were stolen in the attack on the town about 700 km (450 miles) southwest of Khartoum.