Khartoum and the rebels exchange accusations on Darfur clashes

Both the Sudanese government and the rebels in Darfur on Sunday exchanged accusations on the responsibility over the eruption of clashes in the district which is located west of the country. The clashes resulted in killing three members of the Sudanese army.

In a statement, the Sudanese army said the rebels started attacks on its forces while they were escorting a civilian convoy on al-Fasher- Neyala road, north of Darfur, and killed one army officer and two guards.

The statement added that the rebels confiscated a vehicle for the a military force and attacked several villages and scared citizens, and only then, the army interfered to expel them.

The statement explained that the military forces attacked the rebel forces in Hamra and Landa villages from where the rebel groups started, adding that the airforce took part in the operations whose mission was only a guiding one.

For his part, the spokesman for the Sudan's Liberation Movement, Mahjoub Hussein, said that the army bombarded on Thursday intensively al-Harma village and destroyed it completely, noting that the fighting continued until Sunday in North Deyala area.

Hussein added that his movement is in a state of alert, holding the government responsible for the unrest overwhelming the region, and called on the UN to interfere and protect the civilians.

In a statement al-Adalh Wal-Musawat ( justice and equality) movement said that Sudanese fighters are flying over the area in violation of agreements with Khartoum and UN resolutions.