Sudan army denies Darfur attack
10/10/2007 18:41  - (SA)  

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Dead bodies litter streets Four rebels killed in Darfur UN 'needs' more helicopters Darfur unrest may worsen - UN 100 die in Sudan army attacks Sudan town burns to the ground

Khartoum - Sudan's army has denied attacking the only Darfur rebel faction to sign a peace deal with Khartoum, saying tribal clashes were to blame for fighting which killed 45 people in Muhajiriya town.

The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) led by Minni Arcua Minnawi was the only one of three negotiating rebel factions to sign the May 2006 deal and become part of government. Muhajiriya in South Darfur is the largest town under their control.

Minnawi's faction said Monday's attack, which they said killed 45 people and destroyed half the town, was a "stab in the back of the peace deal".

Rebels said militias mobilised by the government, known as Janjaweed, along with a small number of army soldiers were still burning villages around Muhajiriya on Wednesday.

On September 29 growing tension erupted into a assault on the AU base near Haskanita, killing 10 soldiers and destroying the camp in the worst attack on the force since it deployed in 2004.

The AU withdrew, asking the army to secure the formerly rebel-controlled area to help search for almost 60 missing soldiers, all but one of whom were found.

Haskanita town was burnt to the ground and all the civilians fled, with rebels reporting 105 civilians killed.

In a sign of more possible violence ahead, rights group Amnesty International confirmed rebel reports of government troops massing in towns in North Darfur. Most areas north of the main towns are controlled by the rebels.

"It looks as though the Sudan Armed Forces want to attack this area before peace talks scheduled to take place in Libya before the end of the month," said Tawanda Hondora, deputy director of Amnesty International's Africa Programme.

Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur, SLA founder, said he wanted a strong UN force on the ground before the talks, aimed at bringing those who rejected the 2006 deal on board to negotiate a proper ceasefire.

The UN-AU force is due to take over from the struggling and overstretched AU. Agwai says his force is outgunned and outnumbered in Darfur, with fewer than 6 000 soldiers there.

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