Darfur JEM rebels clash with army around major town
January 26, 2009 (EL FASHER) — The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said today that it defeated the Sudanese army in fierce fighting near the capital of North Darfur State, El-Fasher, after heavy bombing by Sudanese warplanes.
Since midnight yesterday the Sudanese army has bombed a JEM convoy east of the El-Fasher. “The army used warplanes to hit our troops and around 10 o’clock on the morning they clashed with our troops,” El-Tahir El-Faki, the head of JEM Legislative Council told Sudan Tribune.
The explosions could be heard from the city, confirmed the UNAMID peacekeeping mission, saying that the local population was frightened by sounds of explosions, shelling and fighter jets near El-Fasher, as rumours spread that the city was under attack.
“The market was closed, the traffic jammed and school children were sent back to their homes,” the UNAMID reported. After two hours the situation returned to normal but remained tense.
Attempting to ease tensions, North Darfur Governor Osman Yusuf Kibir toured the city. In a statement issued Monday, he said the government had had turned back JEM outside the city and was pursuing the retreating rebels.
But JEM itself claimed victory, citing scores made against attacking aircraft, which included two Antonov bombers, two Mig-25 and two helicopters. “Our troops downed one helicopter and hit severely the other one,” said El-Faki.
El-Faki also said that JEM troops clashed today on another front with the Sudanese troops in Muhageria in southern Darfur.
According to a military spokesman for the rebels, Ali Alwafi, government forces composed of 120 vehicles escorted by 4 warplanes attacked some 25 km east of Muhageria, a location that JEM seized on January 15 from fighters loyal to ex-rebel Minni Minawi.
The area was bombed heavily over the last few days in prelude to an attack today. “After a one hour battle our troops defeated the attacking government force and captured 36 vehicles intact with weapons and military equipment,” said Alwafi, adding that JEM destroyed 28 vehicles.
The rebel military spokesman also claimed the downing of two helicopters, one on the battlefield and another between Nyala and Labado, a town razed early in the war.
The aerial attacks on the town, which began Friday, prompted aid workers to withdraw and warn that more than 35,000 people living in Muhageria and its immediate surroundings are now without medical assistance. There are also reports that most women and children have fled the town.
According to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the MSF base in Muhageria was completely destroyed by fire, while one clinic remains functional though abandoned by surgical staff.
MSF said that prior to leaving, it treated victims of the heavy fighting: 25 patients were given urgent care, 18 of whom were treated for gunshot wounds.
While it earlier appeared from both government and rebel statements that army and allied ex-rebel forces were surrounding the town, new unconfirmed reports indicate that JEM has made advances on areas both north and south of the area.
Following the large clash east of Muhageria, rebels seized Sheiria to the north, said a rebel commander.
UNAMID Spokesperson Noureddine Mezni also noted Saturday that the situation in Muhageria is spilling over into other areas, including Gereida, south of the town, affecting displaced persons.
In Khartoum the Sudanese army kept silence and no statement was made by the army or government officials.
Last May the JEM rebels made a surprise raid on Khartoum, crossing the vast trek between Darfur and the country’s capital. The movement’s political leaders subsequently called the failed attack a way of demonstrating the regime’s vulnerability.
But during this most recent round of fighting, the rebels thus far have not made clear their immediate military objectives.
(ST)