The rebel Sudan Liberation Movement said it had repelled an attack by the Sudanese armed forces on Thursday in West Darfur and captured 32 vehicles.
Nimir Abdel Rahman, an SLM-AW spokesperson, told Sudan Tribune that government troops riding about 70 vehicles attacked their positions in Fanga Suk located in the remote northern part of West Darfur state.
“Our fighters inflected heavy losses on the government forces and we seized 32 vehicles equipped with machine guns and important quantities of ammunitions,” Nimir told the Sudan Tribune.
He added the attacking forces moved from El Fashir which is at 80 kilometers from Fanga Suk. He said that two Antonov airplanes bombarded their positions before the arrival of Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) troops.
The rebel official mentioned this attack coincides with the resumption of talks in Addis Ababa to end the South Kordofan conflict saying that Khartoum used always to intensify attacks while the attention is focused on other events.
“This is why we are against partial negotiations and we call for a comprehensive solution to settle all the ongoing conflicts in Sudan “but this holistic solution should lead to change the existing regime,” he said.
Nimir on the other hand urged the international community to pressure Khartoum on the security of civilians. He said the failure of the United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to protect civilians means his organization might be forced to intervene if attacks against civilians like the ones in Kutum are repeated in other towns.
The Sudan Liberation Movement is Sudanese rebel group that was founded in 1992 as the Darfur Liberation Front.
The movement split into two main factions in 2006, divided on the issue of the Darfur Peace Agreement. SLM-AW, Abdel Wahid Al-Nur, has rejected that peace treaty.
He has repeatedly called for self-determination, saying efforts should instead be focused on the need for security and protection of civilians in Darfur.
