W. Sudan rebels say govt planes kill six civilians
By Nima Elbagir
KHARTOUM, May 11 (Reuters) – Sudanese government forces killed six civilians and wounded 10 others in aerial bombardments in the latest ceasefire violation in west Sudan, a rebel spokesman said on Tuesday.
The government was not immediately available for comment, but Sudanese military sources said last week they were still pursuing rebels in an area near the latest reported attack despite a truce signed in April between the two sides.
“The government carried out aerial bombardment using Antonov planes and helicopters on the Korma area in Northern Darfur state targeting our soldiers resulting in the death of six civilians and the injury of 10,” Mohammed Mursal, spokesman for the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA), told Reuters.
Rebels accuse Khartoum of neglecting the region and arming Arab militias, known locally as janjaweed, to drive black Africans out of their villages.
Speaking from Darfur by telephone, Mursal said the bombing took place from Sunday to Monday near Korma, which is around 850 km (530 miles) southwest of the capital Khartoum.
He said that despite the attack, the SLA still stuck by the 45-day renewable ceasefire with the government which came into effect mid-April.
“We are very disillusioned at the moment (with the ceasefire agreement) but we remain committed to what we signed,” he said.
The truce was also signed by the other main rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement.
The SLA also said in a statement posted on a Sudanese opposition party’s Web site (www.dup-sudan.com) that government forces executed 168 villagers in the Mudni area in Western Darfur state. However, it was not immediately clear when the killings were said to have taken place.
“The authorities tricked the civilians by announcing that there was food distribution and when people gathered they accused the victims of belonging to the movement (SLA). They took them to an empty area and opened fire on them,” it said.
A government official said he had no information about any executions carried out by government troops.
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said in a report issued last week that the government with the janjaweed had carried out mass executions in the past, citing one example in March where 145 men from an African tribe were killed in Western Darfur state.
The United Nations says the conflict, which began in February 2003, has displaced more than a million people and driven more than 100,000 people to flee into neighbouring Chad.
“Conditions for Sudanese refugees in Chad are now so bad that hunger and disease are severely endangering the lives of tens of thousands of people,” the aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said in a statement on Tuesday.
The group said it was appealing for a more determined aid effort in Chad, as well as support for those still in Darfur.