Fighting, bombing resumes in Darfur’s Jebel Marra

On Saturday, 17 militiamen were reported killed in clashes between Sudanese government forces and rebels of the Sudan Liberation Movement, headed by Abdelwahid El Nur (SLM-AW) in Jebel Marra. The Sudanese Air Force bombed villages in north-west Jebel Marra on Saturday and today.

Speaking to Radio Dabanga, SLM-AW spokesman Ezzeldin Sambala, reported that government forces launched an attack on the area of Torantora, one of the movement's strongholds in Jebel Marra on Saturday morning.

He said that the SLM-AW combatants managed to repel the attackers. “We inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. 17 militiamen were killed, among them Lance-Corporal Hamdan Mohamed Eisa.”

Bombing

The Sudanese Air Force bombed at least 15 villages in the area between Maya in Kabkabiya locality and Aja in northern Jebel Marra were bombed on Saturday and Sunday.

“It is unclear yet how many people were killed and wounded,” Hussein Abusharati, spokesman for the Darfur Displaced and Refugees Association told this station.

“The explosions set fire to many houses in the villages,” he said.

"What is required now is urgent action by the United Nations,” the camp leader added. “They should pressure Khartoum to stop the indiscriminate aerial bombardments of civilians in Darfur, that only causes more displacement.

“We further call on humanitarian organisations to immediately intervene, and provide aid to the thousands of villagers who fled into the wilderness without being able to take anything with them.”

After a relative calm for months, the Sudanese air force dropped three barrel bombs on the area of Jawa in the eastern part of Jebel Marra on 6 April. The latest bombing occurred in October, weeks after renewed fighting had broken out between government forces and SLM-AW combatants.