Central Reserve claim victory in North Darfur; rebels deny any fighting

Major General Abdelrahman Hassan Abdelrahman, a commander of the Central Reserve Force, claimed that a joint force of Central Reserve soldiers and the Armed Forces clashed with an armed group on Thursday afternoon. He said the group was affiliated with the rebel movement of Minni Arko Minawi and some other movements in North Darfur. The fighting occurred between the localities Dar es Salaam and Kalimando in the Khazan (reservoir) area. The government forces defeated the enemy and forced them to flee, said the commander in a press statement.

The statement added that 2 of the Central Reserve soldiers and four of the armed forces were wounded in that battle.

However, a spokesman of the alliance of Liberation Movements denied the occurrence of any clash between them and government forces in the region. A field commander for SLA-MM accused the government of attacking villages and looting. He said that there was no clash in the areas stated by the Central Reserve commander. He said the commander was describing the attack by miliias on Aqid village, near Abu Deleik, east of El Fasher, an attack in which 10 citizens were killed and their properties looted by pro-groverment forces.