KHARTOUM – Darfur’s rebel Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) said yesterday it had seized a Sudanese government military base close to the border with Chad, stoking tensions after a series of clashes in the area.
Joint UN-African Union peacekeepers in Darfur confirmed Sudanese government soldiers were attacked on Saturday afternoon in the town of Kornoi, which is on a key road in North Darfur, and condemned the violence. No one was immediately available to comment from the Sudanese army.
The report was the latest sign of growing insecurity in remote North Darfur that has been worsened by deteriorating relations between Sudan and its neighbour Chad.
Sudan’s government says Jem is backed by Chad, while Chad accuses Khartoum of supporting insurgents in its territory.
Jem clashed with former rebels backed by Sudan’s government earlier this month close to the town of Umm Baru – just 50km (30 miles) away from Kornoi along a strategic route which stretches southeast from the Chadian border into Darfur.
Sudan also accused Chad of launching three airstrikes inside Sudan, further south over their shared border, on Friday and Saturday.
“Jem has taken Kornoi. We attacked a garrison there. We want to clear them out of the area,” Jem leader Khaili Ibrahim said, adding that the two-hour battle had taken place in the late afternoon on Saturday.
“We now control a very large area. Jem will proceed to control the whole area – the whole of Darfur, including the capitals .” Ibrahim said there had been casualties on both sides, but it was too early to release statistics.
The joint Unamid peacekeeping force said it had given water and medical care to some government soldiers who came to two of its nearby bases after the attack.
Unamid’s Joint Special Representative Rodolphe Adada released a statement condemning the attack, adding: “I call on all the parties to the Darfur conflict to refrain from the use of violence, to seek a peaceful resolution to their problems.” Unamid communications chief Kemal Saiki said he could not confirm the identity of the attackers who now appeared to be in control of the area around Kornoi.
There have been signs that Jem has been rearming and regrouping in recent months. Diplomatic sources in Khartoum have said Jem may be planning a major offensive in Darfur, partly in retaliation for an incursion by Chadian insurgents into Chad earlier this month, which N’Djamena said was backed by Khartoum. – (Reuters)