One policeman and a number of gunmen were wounded during armed clashes on Wednesday in Khartoum’s suburb of Soba between government forces and gunmen affiliated with a signatory group called Third Front – Tamazuj.

The Sudanese interior ministry said the former rebels refused to leave a building in the Rahaf neighbourhood of the Soba area of Khartoum and opened fire on the police force that requested them to render the keys of the accommodations.

The group members were supposed to stay in the police building for one month after their arrival in Khartoum in November 2020.

The Sudanese police said that the armed group refused to vacate the residence and opened fire on the police, following what they request the support of a joint force involving the police, the army and the Rapid Support Forces.

The controversial group did not take part in the negotiations but joined the agreement later. Its leadership claims they were part of the SPLM-North but the latter denies that.

Tamazuj had already clashed with the security forces on 18 March of this year.

The group spokesman Mohamed Musa Badi said the ” unfortunate ” incident occurred due to the lack of written or verbal notification with the group.

Also, in a state released late on Wednesday evening, the SPLM-N Darfur Sector led by Saeed Youssif Mahel said the security forces attacked its members and injured several members of the group.

“There is a systematic targeting of some armed struggle leaders,” said the group and warned they would retaliate if the government does not hold accountable the perpetrators of the attack.

The U.S. Embassy which has its building in Soba advised its personnel “to avoid all areas south of its location until further notice.

Tamazuj groups have been accused of being fabricated by the military intelligence to weaken the Juba Peace Agreement signatory groups as it gathers people from the border areas with South Sudan from Kordofan and Darfur regions.

Several members of this alliance were involved in robbery and looting attacks in the past months increasing the insecurity in the capital.

Analysts and commentators had warned that the non-implementation of the security arrangements would lead to such incidents.