Fresh clashes have been erupted between the Sudanese
army (SAF) and the rebels of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) headed
by Abdul Whaid Alnour in the troubled Darfur troubled region.
The fighting occurred in Malit city near the
border between Sudan and Chad has claimed the lives of more than 20
persons from both sides, although accounts remained unclear of the death
toll.
The spokesperson of the SLM rebel's Abdel Wahid
faction. Mr Nimir Abdul Rahman, said that his movement captured the city
last Saturday, killing 16 soldiers from SAF and lost two of its
soldiers.
He however in a press released on Sunday said that
his forces were withdrawing from the area after an intensive
governmental air strike on the civilians.
"We captured the area without strong resistance, but we tactically withdrew to secure civilian lives," Mr Abul Rahman said.
"We will continue our struggle until we will bring down Bashir’s regime," he added.
Meanwhile the spokesman of SAF Col Alswarmi Khalid Saad admitted that they had battled with the SLM rebels near Malit.
He however dismissed the claim that 16 SAF
soldiers had been killed in the clashes, saying the army has instead
defeated the rebels and killed five of them.
"The Armed Forces has killed five outlaws and
injured others of a group of outlaws belonging to Abdul-Wahid movement
that targeted an Armed Forces' patrol two kilometers outside Malit town,
North Darfur State," the SAF spokesperson told state media on Sunday.
"We also restored one of our two vehicles which
were looted by the outlaws group and our forces are now pursuing the
other outlaws who fled after their defeat," he added.
The Sudan army and the alliance of rebel groups of
Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) are fighting in wide areas of the
Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
SOURCE: AFRICA REVIEW
SOURCE: AFRICA REVIEW
