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Sudanese forces attack Darfur rebel bases-insurgents
06 Sep 2008 17:28:00 GMT
 Source: Reuters
Refugees who fled the conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region collect water at Djabal camp near Gos Beida in eastern Chad, June 2008.
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Refugees who fled the conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region collect water at Djabal camp near Gos Beida in eastern Chad, June 2008.
REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly

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(Updates throughout with third attack claim)

By Andrew Heavens

KHARTOUM, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Sudanese forces launched ground and air attacks on at least three rebel positions in North Darfur on Saturday, killing an unknown number of people, insurgent groups said.

Leaders from three rebel groups said government troops, backed by helicopters, Antonov planes and militias riding horses and camels, attacked their bases in Disa and Birmaza, close to a key transport route.

Two insurgent forces said there had also been a third assault on settlements south of the town of Tawila, in an area held by a range of rebels and known for bandit attacks.

Sudanese armed forces officials were not available for comment.

The reports of the attacks came at a highly sensitive time in Darfur after the International Criminal Court moved to indict Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for genocide in the remote western region.

Rebel groups have accused the government of launching a string of raids in North Darfur over the last two months, even as Khartoum stepped up diplomatic efforts to get the global court's move postponed or quashed.

"They are attacking us right now. There has been heavy firing," said Ibrahim al-Helwu, from the branch of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur.

"Two Antonovs have been bombing and there have been four helicopters opening fire on us...There are many civilians who have fled the area," added al-Helwu, who said he was speaking from Disa, 140 km (87 miles) northwest of the capital of Darfur El Fasher.

He said early reports suggested more than 60 Sudanese soldiers, rebels and civilians may had been killed in the assault which carried on into the evening. But there was no independent confirmation of those figures. Al-Helwu said rebels had retreated but would mount a counter-attack overnight.

LARGE-SCALE ASSAULT

Abu Bakar Kadu, a commander from the SLM's Unity faction, said officers in the area told him government forces had attacked Disa and Birmaza, a few kilometres to its north.

Bahar Abu Garda, chairman of the insurgent United Resistance Front, also said his men had been fighting alongside SLM-Unity.

Al-Helwu and another SLM-Unity commander told Reuters government aircraft and troops also attacked settlements close to the town of Tawila and 70 km (45 miles south west of El Fasher on Saturday afternoon.

Rebel groups accused the Sudanese government of launching a large-scale assault to wipe out rebel bases in July and August.

Observers have said Khartoum was trying to claim as much territory as it can ahead of new peace negotiations with the new joint U.N.-African Union mediator for Darfur Djibril Bassole.

Sherif Harir, a field commander with SLM-Unity, said on Saturday Khartoum was also focusing on North Darfur to control key transport routes between Sudan and neighbouring Chad and Libya, and to clear rebels from potentially lucrative oil sites.

North Darfur is part of Sudan's oil Block 12A operated by a consortium led by the Saudi Arabian company al-Qahtani.

A spokesman for the joint U.N./African Union UNAMID peacekeeping force in Darfur said commanders on the ground were checking the rebel reports. He added that government attack helicopters had been seen taking off and landing during the day at Kutum.

International experts say more than five years of fighting in Darfur has killed 200,000 people and forced more than 2.5 million to flee their homes.

The fighting started after mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003 accusing the central government in Khartoum of neglect. The Sudanese government, which claims the international media has exaggerated the conflict, mobilised militias to quell the revolt.

Darfur rebel groups splintered into numerous factions after a failed peace deal with Sudan's government in 2006.

(Editing by Robert Hart)


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