Rebels claim to have captured new area in North Darfur
March 4, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – Two rebel factions in Darfur region led by Minni Minnawi and Ali Karbino on Tuesday announced the capture of Al-Tawisha area, in the southern part of North Darfur, but the state governor dismissed the claim.
“Shortly before the afternoon of this Tuesday, March 4, 2014 the joint force of the Sudan Liberation Army – Minni Minnawi (SLA-MM) and the Liberation and Justice Movement managed to liberate Al-Tawisha town, from the grip of the National Congress (Party) Government,” said the military spokesperson of the SLA-MM, Adam Saleh Abakar in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday evening.
Abakar added that further details about the operation would be released later.
In statements to the private TV, Ashorooq, North Darfur governor Osman Kibir, confirmed the attack but he added it was limited to the outskirt of the district where the assailants clashed with the government forces.
The governor who hails from the same area further said the situation is not yet clear affirming that clashes were still going on. The Sudanese army spokesperson was not reachable for comment.
The two rebel groups last Sunday attacked two localities, Alleit Jar-Elnaby, and Haskanita, located South of Al-Tawisha but the Sudanese army said the attack had been repelled.
Rebels condemn violence in South Darfur
In a joint statement released on Tuesday, Darfur holdout rebel groups led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur, Gibril Ibrahim and Minni Minnawi condemned the recent violence in South Darfur state that displaced around 20,000 people, according to a Sudanese humanitarian official.
On Monday UNAMID reported the burning of a number of villages and the displacement of a large number of civilians near Um Gunya, located about 50 kilometres south-east of Nyala. The hybrid mission further demanded unfettered humanitarian access to the area.
A Darfurian advocacy group, Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre (DRDC), said 5,000 reached Kalma camp while other 10,000 IDPs have no shelter.
The two factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement, SLM-AW and SLM-MM Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) blamed the UNAMID for its failure to fulfil its mandate and protect civilians. They further called on the UN, EU and African Union to condemn the “genocide” and provide the needy with the humanitarian assistance.
The three rebel groups further called for “an urgent investigation and neutral to find out the size and dimensions of the crime, indentify the perpetrators, and do whatever it takes to enable the International Criminal Court to prosecute” them.
The joint statement accused South Darfur state governor, Adam Mahmoud Jar Alnabi saying he ordered the government militias to carry out the attacks.
In a related development, the governor Jar Alnabi, in statements from the state capital Nyala, accused the rebels of perpetrating the attacks and denied that the government militias were involved in the recent violence in his state.
Also, South Darfur aid commissioner Gamal Youssef said that 90 tons of humanitarian assistance will be distributed to some 20,000 IDPs who fled 31 villages.
(ST)