Sudanese Official Says Rebels Kill 28 in Darfur
KHARTOUM, Sudan, Aug 3 (Reuters) – Rebels masquerading as Arab militia have killed 28 Arab tribesman in attacks in western Sudan over the last week, a Sudanese official and Arab tribal leader from the area said Tuesday.
Abdullah Massar said rebels from the Justice and Equality and Movement and Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) had since July 29 launched daily raids against the Rizeiqat Arab tribe in southern Darfur. The SLM denied the allegation.
“They attacked previously a few weeks ago, but at the moment they are attacking daily,” Massar said. Some of the rebels were riding camels and horses, copying the style of attacks launched by Janjaweed militia against rebels and villagers in the region.
“They want people to think they are Janjaweed,” said Massar, who is governor of Nile River State north of Khartoum.
He said 28 people had been killed and 91 wounded in the attacks.
The rebels, who signed a cease-fire with Khartoum in April, were launching Janjaweed-style attacks to avoid taking the blame, he added. The rebels and Khartoum have accused each other of frequent truce violations.
The U.N. Security Council has threatened Khartoum with sanctions in 30 days if it does not disarm the militias and prosecute their leaders. The U.S. Congress has labeled the Janjaweed campaign as genocide against non-Arabs.
The rebels, who launched their uprising in early 2003, accuse Khartoum of arming the Janjaweed to crush their rebellion. The rebels and human rights groups say the Janjaweed have also burned and looted non-Arab villages.
Fighting in Darfur has displaced 1 million people in what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Massar said locals had reported the attacks around the town of al-Dian to African Union monitors observing the cease-fire. The observers visited the area Monday.
Senior SLM official Adam Ali Shogar denied the allegations. Khartoum had been gathering Janjaweed militias in the area for several weeks, he said. “The government has been doing this with the intention of launching attacks on the SLM strongholds in the area,” he said.