Sudan denies fighting with rebels in Darfur

September 20, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese army denied on Thursday an allegation that it had involved in a fighting with an armed rebel group in the war-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur.

A Sudanese army officer made the denial to Xinhua after a rebel leader claimed on Wednesday that his fighters had launched an attack on government troops in the village of Dobow in the central Jabel Marra region in Darfur, leaving 45 people dead, including 40government soldiers.

“This allegation is untrue” and “we don’t have information indicating fighting taking place in the place mentioned,” the army officer who refused to be named told Xinhua.

However, the spokesperson of the SLM Abdelshafi faction, reaffirmed to Sudan Triune that the fighting still going on in Dobow. He further said that rebel troops control totally the area and they repelled the government forces.

Ahmed Abdu Shafi, leader of a faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), said Wednesday that he had ordered the attack to clear government forces from a key access route through his territory, killing some 40 government troops.

During his visit in Vatican last week, Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir announced his government’s commitment to a ceasefire in Darfur before the resumption of the peace negotiation between the government and Darfur rebel movements in Tripoli, Libya, on Oct. 27.

Five rebel groups from Darfur gathered Wednesday in the Chadian capital Ndjamena to forge a common position ahead of the upcoming peace talks.

(Xinhua/ST)