The leader of Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA-North), Abdelaziz al-Hilu, has told the BBC’s Newsday programme in a rare interview that his group will opt for independence if the government in Khartoum does not change.

The SPLA-North is in control of a large swathe of land in the Nuba mountains in the country’s south, as well as part of Blue Nile in the south-east.

Mr Al-Hilu says his group “prefers unity” but warned that if Khartoum wants to maintain the old Sudan of “segregations” and “oppression” then “we will opt for independence”.

The Nuba have been marginalised for decades. They have been killed, tortured, evicted from their land and forcibly converted to Islam.

In October 2021, Sudan’s military took over the government alleging that the army acted to prevent a civil war because political groups had been inciting civilians against the security forces.

The coup leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has previously said he remains committed to the transition to civilian rule.