Sudan says Darfur rebels killed 41 in Kordofan attack

Sat Sep 1, 2007 8:34AM EDT
By Simon Apiku

KHARTOUM, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Sudanese rebels from war-torn Darfur killed 41 people in an attack earlier this week on a base for government forces in the neighbouring Kordofan region, Sudan's interior ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

"Information shows there were 41 martyrs, including people from the area," the ministry said, without saying how many of the dead were members of its forces.

On Wednesday, Darfur rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Army's Unity faction (SLA Unity) said they had seized an army base in Wad Banda in North Kordofan State.

The interior ministry said the attack was on a base for central reserve forces, a branch of the police.

The fighting came just days before U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was due to arrive in Sudan to try to set a timetable to revive Darfur peace talks between the government and rebels after a May 2006 deal faltered.

The rebels said the base they attacked was the logistical and supply centre for ongoing attacks in South Darfur, where rebels say an aerial bombing campaign has driven thousands of people from their homes over the past month.

Ban, due to arrive on Monday, has deplored the recent surge of violence as "simply unacceptable" and has condemned the government bombardment as a violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution.

The Sudanese interior ministry statement said that following the Kordofan attack, a combined force of police and armed forces pursued the rebels and captured a number of them in an ambush. It did not say how many rebels it captured.

"They will face justice and these measures will apply to all those who supported this criminal act," the ministry said.

It added that it would also prosecute anybody suspected of inciting or abetting the attack and anybody else who gave sanctuary to the rebels.

JEM commander Abdel Aziz el-Nur Ashr denied any of the group's men were arrested: "That's not true ... The battle is over and we defeated the armed forces."

The U.N. and AU hope to launch peace talks in October and both voiced concern about the impact of the attack on Wad Banda on the peace process.

"The attack could undermine the efforts of the U.N. and AU special envoys at a time of serious and sensitive consultations to launch the renewed peace talks on Darfur," the U.N. Mission in Sudan said in statement on Thursday.

The AU said the attack happened when the U.N., AU and "the entire international community have converged all efforts toward upcoming peace negotiations."

International experts estimate 200,000 people have died since mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003 accusing the central government of neglecting the region. The Sudanese government denies the charge and says 9,000 have died in Darfur.