Rebel groups said they fought off a government assault on their positions in North Darfur on Wednesday, leaving an unknown number of casualties.
No one was immediately available for comment from Sudan’s armed forces. Officials this week said soldiers were in the area to defend transport routes against attacks by armed bandits. They denied government soldiers were attacking rebel positions.
Leaders from two insurgent splinter factions said they united to repel armed forces that attacked camps in more than 90 armoured vehicles, the latest in a string of clashes in the area reported in the past two weeks.
The reports of continued fighting come at a sensitive time for the government, which is seeking international support to block a move by the International Criminal Court to indict the president for genocide and other alleged war crimes in Darfur.
Sherif Harir, from the rebel Sudan Liberation Army’s (SLA) Unity faction, said the fighting started at about 2.30pm GMT close to the town of Tawila, south-west of North Darfur’s capital, El Fasher.
He said commanders in the field had told him rebels were now pursuing government troops back to El Fasher. Fighters from the SLA faction led by Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur fought alongside the Unity wing, said spokesperson Ibrahim al-Helwu.
Officers from the undermanned joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur said they were prevented from entering the territory. — Reuters