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Military Helicopter Crash Kills Five in Darfur, Sudan Army Says
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Apr 18, 2011 - 8:03:12 AM

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Military Helicopter Crash Kills Five in Darfur, Sudan Army Says

Five military personnel were killed in a helicopter crash in Sudan�s western region of Darfur today, Sudanese army spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khaled said.

�It was a technical failure as the helicopter was landing,� Khaled said by phone from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. �It was on an administrative mission.�

The accident took place in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, Khaled said. Three crew members and two military passengers were on board the Mi-17 helicopter, he said.

Sudan�s army has been fighting rebels in Darfur since 2003, when insurgents took up arms, accusing the government of neglecting the region. The conflict has led to the deaths of as many as 300,000 people, mainly due to illness and starvation, and forced about 2.7 million to flee their homes, according to United Nations estimates. The Sudanese government has put the death toll at about 10,000.