Sudan army retrieves Darfur town from rebels
May 9, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) announced today that it has expelled rebels who yesterday took control of Gereida town in South Darfur.
Rebel fighters fleeing the area moved north and started a looting spree before entering Gereida on Tuesday, the army spokesperson said.
Col. Sa’ad acknowledged that despite SAF low numbers in town they managed to engage the attackers until additional reinforcements were sent that eventually evicted the rebels.
He added that the army is still pursuing remnants of the assailants and is combing the area.
Gereida is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Nyala, the South Darfur state capital.
The military official also declared that the disputed border area of Kafya Kingi has been “liberated” from South Sudan’s army (SPLA) fighters. It lies 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Kafan Dibi.
He said they inflicted heavy losses on the “outlaws” while suffering an unspecified number of deaths and injuries among SAF troops.
A spokesman for the SLA-MM Abdullah Mursal denied to Reuters that their fighters had been pushed out.
“We are still here, this is not true, the government has not entered in Gereida,” he said.
The African Union-United Nations mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said that its peacekeepers resumed patrolling in Gereida and noted the destruction in town.
“There were a number of dead and there was considerable damage to the town infrastructure,” UNAMID spokesperson Christopher Cycmanick told Agence France Presse (AFP).
“Fuel had been stolen and some places had been looted” he added.
He confirmed SAF’s statement saying that “the armed movements had left”Gereida.
(ST)