Rebel activity and successes in the Darfur and Kordofan regions of Sudan have been increasing. A faction of the Sudan Liberation Army took several towns east of Nyala, the state capital of South Darfur, on April 6. Just west of Nyala, another faction of the Sudan Liberation Army captured Shataya and Kailek on April 18. And finally, an alliance of rebels from the Darfur and Kordofan regions launched a joint attack on April 27 on the North Kordofan city of Umm Ruwaba, the second-largest town in the state, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of El Obeid, the state capital. While the rebels' claims that they will march on Khartoum are unrealistic, the failure of the Sudanese armed forces to contain the rebellion has allowed rebel forces to threaten Khartoum's grip on these areas. Losing Darfur would be substantially less costly to Sudan's coffers than the loss of South Sudan. Kordofan, however, houses an important part of Sudan's remaining oil production — both of Sudan's two newest oil fields are located in South Kordofan. The rebellion in Darfur is closely linked with rebel activity in South Kordofan, jeopardizing Khartoum's hold over the latter region and reinforcing the idea of independence in non-Arab majority parts of Sudan. Sudan can continue to exist only if the Arab-dominated core along the Nile in the center of the country can continue to control these two regions. Khartoum will continue to try to use diplomacy to reduce instability, as it did with South Sudan, but diplomacy can only go so far — as domestic pressure continues to build against concessions to South Sudan, discontent will combine with frustration with the leadership's inability to defeat the rebels in Darfur and Kordofan.
