UN welcomes news Sudanese govt to pull aircraft from Darfur

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Feb 10, 2005 (AP) — The U.N. welcomes the news that Sudan is to withdraw its air force bombers from the western region of Darfur, where they have allegedly been used against villages sympathetic to rebels, U.N. spokeswoman Radhia Achouri said Wednesday.

The spokesperson for the United Nations advance mission in the Sudan, Radhia Achouri. (AP)

“We have not been officially notified of the decision, however, it is a very important decision and we are following it up to see if this decision is being translated into concrete action,” Achouri told a press briefing.

Earlier this week, Sudanese newspapers quoted the interior minister, Lt. Gen. Abdel-Rahim Hussein, as saying the government was going to withdraw its Russian-made Antonovs from Darfur.

The U.N. has long called on the government to refrain from using planes in the Darfur conflict.

Rebels and humanitarian organizations working in Darfur have often accused the state of using Antonovs to bomb villagers. The government has usually denied the accusations. But on Jan. 26, the African Union confirmed such an airstrike in South Darfur, calling it a major violation of the cease-fire that its forces monitor.

Days later, Achouri said the casualty toll from the aerial bombardment near the town of Shangil Tobaya was almost 100 killed and wounded, according to African Union monitors. The government denied the airstrike.

Darfur has been torn by conflict since early 2003, when rebels of ethnic African tribes took up arms, complaining of neglect and discrimination by the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum. A pro-government Arab militia then launched a counter-insurgency campaign in which thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands were driven from their homes.

An estimated 2 million people have been displaced in the conflict.