Govt accuses rebels of killing 47 people when it intervened in tribal conflict in Darfur
KHARTOUM, Sudan, July 06, 2004 (AP) — Rebels in Darfur province killed 47 people when they intervened in a tribal conflict this week, a Sudanese government spokesman was quoted as saying Tuesday.
The Sudan Liberation Army sided with an African tribe, the al-Barqad, against an Arab tribe, the Reziyqat, in a dispute over land in the southern part of Darfur, spokesman Gadeen Godallah Daqash told the Alwan newspaper.
Daqash said the SLA rebels killed 47 people and wounded 24 in clashes Sunday and Monday, the paper reported.
The Associated Press in Cairo tried repeatedly to reach SLA spokesmen for comment Tuesday, but without success.
Conflict in the western province of Darfur has killed about 30,000 people and displaced more than 1 million people. The fighting began as a rebellion in February 2003 by people of African origin who accused the Khartoum government of long-standing neglect and discrimination.
NGOs and rights groups accuse pro-government forces, notably Arab militia, of conducting a counter-insurgency that has laid waste to towns and villages. The government denies the charges and blames the rebels for the destruction.
The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum said Tuesday it had received reports from both sides about tribal clashes in southern Darfur, but “we are unable at this time to confirm details or comment on any of the allegations of responsibility.”
“We strongly urge both sides – government and rebels – to respect the N’djamena cease-fire,” the embassy statement added, referring to the cease-fire that the rebels and the Sudanese government signed in the Chadian capital in April. Each side has accused the other of violating the truce.
Also Tuesday, Sudan ‘s interior minister, Lt. Gen. Abdel-Rahim Hussein, said in a statement he had ordered the deployment of additional soldiers and police to Darfur “to protect citizens and their property.”
The government has been saying for days that it will send more security forces to Darfur to disarm militia and put an end to attacks on civilians. But aid workers in the province question whether this will happen.
The commitment to deploy came after visits to Darfur and Khartoum last week by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Both officials told the government it had to make greater efforts to bring peace and security to Darfur.