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Sudanese forces, rebels clash in Darfur
Sudanese forces and rebels have clashed in Darfur, a week after Sudan's president launched a national initiative to end the five-year-old conflict. Mohamed Abdullah, a commander with a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) headed by Abdel-Wahed Mohamed el-Nur, said his group lost two fighters but captured a number of government vehicles and weapons in the clash on Thursday. A representative for the Sudanese military could not confirm the incident but said the army had troops operating in north Darfur. Noureddine Mezni, a spokesperson for the joint United Nations/African Union peacekeeping force (UNAMID), said: "We have initial information about clashes in the area. We are monitoring the situation." He did not give further details. The clashes came a week after Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir launched a national initiative to end the five-year-old conflict. Rebel groups boycotted the event. Suleiman Jamous, a leader of another SLA/Unity group in north Darfur, said both forces clashed when they confronted each other "by accident" on a road near the area of Anabaji. Abdullah and Jamous said government forces overtook a rebel base in the Helf area in north Darfur on Thursday night. "There will be Posted by: Fred 2008-10-26 |
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