KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Sudanese government troops clashed with rebels in the conflict-wracked state of Southern Kordofan near the border with South Sudan, and each side claimed Monday it inflicted heavy losses on the other.

The clashes erupted Sunday in the Dandor area, 500 kilometers (300 miles) west of Khartoum. Southern Kordofan state has been hit by violence for nearly two years, displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians and killing scores.