Several killed in Darfur clashes

Feb 13, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Several people have been killed in armed clashes in Sudan’s western region of Darfur, the area gripped by four years of civil war.

The clashes, which erupted on Monday, coincided with the start of a new peace-seeking mission by envoys of the United Nations and African Union.

According to one official cited by the Al-Rai Al-Aam newspaper Tuesday, 11 people were killed and nine wounded in the fighting in southern Darfur between an unidentified armed group and members of the Abala tribe.

Two other papers, Assahafa and Rai al-Shaab said five people died and 15 were wounded and quoted another official as saying the clashes were between rival tribes.

On Monday, UN envoy Jan Eliasson and AU official Salim Ahmed Salim began a mission to try to extend a ceasefire agreed last May and bring in rebels who had not signed up to the deal.

The same day, the African Union called for the ceasefire to be respected, and referred to bombing carried out on Saturday by government forces on two villages in Darfur.

The conflict in Darfur began when ethnic minority rebels rose up against the Khartoum regime in February 2003, drawing a scorched earth response from government troops and Arab militia allies.

At least 200,000 people have died from the combined effect of war and famine, while well over two million more have fled their homes, according to UN officials. Other sources put the death toll far higher.

(AFP)