US envoy slams Sudan over northern Darfur fighting

November 20, 2008 (UNITED NATIONS) — The U.S. special envoy to Sudan, Richard Williamson, denounced the fresh clashes between the Sudanese army and a rebel movement in Darfur on Thursday, saying the fighting made it difficult to take Sudanese pledges of peace seriously.

Darfur rebels clashed today with the Sudanese army in northern Darfur, eight days after the announcement of the unilateral ceasefire. Suleiman Jamous the SLA-Abdel Wahid commander told Sudan Tribune they killed around 40army soldiers while Sudanese army spokesperson Brigadier Osman Al-Agbash stated they killed 30 of the rebel fighters.

The rebels also said the Army bombed two villages in the area and thousands fled their burnt villages.

“This is a continued military offensive by the Sudan armed forces, part of a pattern of violence the United States condemns and others should condemn,” U.S. special envoy to the Sudan the US envoy told Reuters.

“This continued offensive really undercuts any efforts to move toward peace and it undercuts President (Omer Hassan) Al-Bashir’s statement last week about a ceasefire,” he said.

However, the Sudanese ambassador to the U N. reiterated the commitment of the Sudanese government to the ceasefire. He further accused the rebels of the attack saying they seek to provoke Khartoum to break the truce.

The United Nations said on Wednesday it was investigating several earlier reports of violations of the Darfur ceasefire.

The U.S. envoy said he was heading to Doha to meet rebel representatives about a Qatar-sponsored peace initiative.

(ST)