Sudan denies rebels’ capture of a new position in Darfur

May 24, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese army denied today a statement by a UNAMID information official about the seizure of Um Baru which located near the joint border with Chad saying the rebels had being repelled.

The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) on May 17 captured Kornoi, 50 klm west of Um Baru in North Darfur state. Khalil Ibrahim, the leader of the rebel group said last week that they intend to control the whole province including the three regional capitals.

However, the Sudan Armed Forces spokesperson Mohamed Osman Al-Agbash said on Sunday evening that SAF defeated the assailant JEM. He further added the rebels suffered large material losses and many casualties.

Speaking to Reuters today UNAMID information director Kemal Saiki said “Um Baru was overrun. It has fallen.” “Our own base just a few kilometers away heard the heavy gunfire,” he stressed.

A rebel military spokesperson could not be reached to comment; also JEM didn’t issue any statement over the issue on Sunday.

Suleiman Sandal spoke this morning about an expected attack by government troops on their positions in Kornoi.

The two warring parties are expected to meet within three days in Doha to resume talks on the implementation of a goodwill agreement they signed last February.

In Khartoum, the Qatar’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Ahmad bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud, and the AU-UN peace mediator Djibril Yipènè Bassolé met today with the presidential assistant Nafi Ali Nafi in charge with the Darfur peace process.

Following the meeting Bassolé told reporters that the next round of Doha talks is supported by the regional and international communities adding this would allow them to conduct effectively the peace process.

The rebel JEM last week refused to sign a ceasefire before the release of its members sentenced to death by Khartoum.

The six-year armed conflict in Darfur has claimed some 300,000 lives and displaced 2.7 million people since 2003, the UN says.

(ST)