Cops killed in Darfur raid
2004-09-17 11:29
Khartoum - Four Sudanese policemen, including an officer, have been killed in an attack by Darfur rebels on a town in North Darfur, a newspaper reported on Friday.
Independent Al-Hayat daily said rebels launched an attack on Thursday on Liait Jar al-Nabi in Um Kaddadah district in North Darfur State, and killed the four policemen in the ensuing battle..
The rebels totally destroyed the Sudatel building and ransacked the market of the town, Al-Hayat said, quoting sources as saying this was a major violation by the rebels of the ceasefire agreement of last April.
The newspaper's sources linked the escalation by the rebels with the collapse of peace talks in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.
In another development, about 2 000 policemen will be deployed in Darfur this month to join the 10 000-strong force already deployed there, the interior minister was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
Major General Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein, who is also the president's representative in Darfur, said his ministry plans to expand the police deployment in Darfur for "imposing the authority of the state there."
Hussein, who returned to Khartoum after a tour of West and South Darfur states, said the security and humanitarian situation in Darfur "is improving steadily."
He indicated "a remarkable" increase in the numbers of displaced people returning home, saying 74 000 had returned to their villages in south Darfur.
His comments came as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called on the Security Council on Thursday to act immediately on a US-drafted resolution aimed at ending the bloodshed in Darfur.
"Civilians are still being attacked and fleeing their villages even as we speak," Annan said. "I have urged the Security Council to act on the draft resolution without delay, and to be as united as possible."