Sudan planes bombing Darfur positions: rebels

3 hours ago

KHARTOUM (AFP) — Sudanese aircraft bombed Darfur rebel positions on Thursday in the latest offensive in the war-torn region, rebels said, with the UN reporting wounded government troops in the area.

Fighters from the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) have reported an upsurge in attacks in the past two weeks, with heavy battles between insurgents and government and militia forces backed by aircraft.

Much of the reported fighting has taken place near Tawila in North Darfur state, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of the regional capital El-Fasher.

"There is bombing both at Khazan Tungur and near Tawila with Antonov planes," Abu Bakr Kadu, a commander from the SLA-Unity faction, said from Darfur.

All offensive flying in Darfur is banned under a 2005 UN Security Council resolution.

Rebels on Wednesday said about 100 government vehicles packed with troops launched an attack, but were beaten back when separate SLA factions joined together in a unified force.

"The bombing has continued again after Wednesday, but there are no government soldiers now," Kadu said, a report backed by other rebels.

"The ground forces are not here now, but the Antonovs are moving across the area," said Ibrahim al-Hillo, a commander from the SLA faction led by Paris-based exile Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur.

The attacks could not be independently confirmed.

However, the joint UN-African Union mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said peacekeepers at Tawila had witnessed wounded government soldiers and a heavy troop presence.

"We can confirm that there have been movements of government troops around Tawila, and a number of them were wounded," said UNAMID spokesman Kemal Saiki.

He said they were still verifying exact figures.

A UNAMID helicopter was also fired at but not hit in the Birmaza area of north Darfur on Wednesday, the fourth attack on a peacekeeping helicopter, Saiki added.

The movement of UNAMID is heavily restricted with barely a third of the planned force deployed, with peacekeepers calling repeatedly for more helicopters.

On Wednesday, the head of UN peacekeeping Alain Le Roy said he expected the force to reach only half its mandated strength of 26,000 by the year's end, scaling back earlier forecasts that some 80 percent might be deployed by then.

Thousands of civilians are reported to have fled fighting in the past week, with their villages looted and burnt by government-supported militias.

However, the Sudanese army dismissed the rebel reports, insisting that the only military action under way is against bandits responsible for a spate of attacks on aid convoys.

"There are no operations in Khazan Tungur or Tawila," an army spokesman said.

"However, the Sudanese army continues its usual work to secure the roads against bandits for humanitarian aid deliveries."

Growing insecurity in Darfur has undercut the ability of aid agencies to deliver critical supplies.

Food rations from the World Food Programme were cut again this month for the 3.3 million people it feeds across Darfur to less than three-quarters of the daily requirement, because of insecurity, a UN statement said on Thursday.

More than 100 vehicles carrying aid from the World Food Programme have been hijacked in Darfur this year, with 43 drivers and 63 trucks still missing. Many more have been shot at and robbed, the WFP says.

The recent clashes have come amid mounting pressure on Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir as he seeks to head off potential charges from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and genocide in Darfur.

According to the United Nations, up to 300,000 people have died in Darfur and more than 2.2 million have fled their homes since rebels rose up against Khartoum in February 2003. Sudan says 10,000 people have been killed.