Rebels kill 157 Sudanese soldiers in North Darfur – statement
July 5, 2008 (LONDON) — Rebels ambushed the Sudanese army in northern Darfur and killed 157 soldiers, said a press statement issued on Saturday evening.
The Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Unity Command said its troops ambushed a mechanical battalion from the Sudan Armed Forces in a route between Gasat Jamat and al-Towasha near Um Kadada in North Darfur.
The SLM- Unity spokesperson Mahgoub Hussein said their forces repelled the assailant government troops who left behind them 157 dead. He also said they captured five military vehicles.
Hussein further stated the lost of seven rebel elements.
The spokesperson reiterated the commitment of his group to the signed ceasefire agreements. However he underlined that “the Movement will not stand idle in case of provocation by the Sudanese army.”
The increasing violence in Darfur and the banditry have forced the UN World Food Programme and other NGOs to reduce their humanitarian action in Darfur.
UN Security Council adopted resolution 1769 on July 31st which authorized a hybrid UN-AU force (UNAMID) consisting of 26,000 troops and police but so far it only has only 9,000 personnel.
However the deployment was impeded by Khartoum’s objections to the composition of the force and lack of helicopters. The UN has for months been seeking 6 attack and 18 transport helicopters to support the force with no success.
International experts also say more than 300,000 were killed and 2 million have been driven from their homes by the conflict in Darfur, a region that is roughly the size of France.
(ST)