Rebel commander killed, chief captured in Darfur battles

The rebel movements involved in the recent clashes with the Sudanese army in North and East Darfur announced that military commander Mohamed Abdelsalam, known as Tarada, was liquidated. A commander-in-chief and leading members have been captured.

Minni Minawi's Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-MM) and the SLM-Transitional Council, released a joint statement today about the arrest of the leader of the SLM-TC, Nimir Abdelrahman. Also the military spokesman for Minawi, Ahmed Hussein Mustafa was captured during the battle in Mount Adola on Sunday.

The movements denied earlier news that Commander-in-Chief Juma Mundi was killed, as was reported by the Sudanese paramilitary RSF. Mustafa and Mundi were taken to an unknown destination, according to the statement.

Mohamed Abdelsalam 'Tarada', commander of the SLM led by Abdelwahid El Nur (SLM-AW), and a number of prisoners were liquidated by the military intelligence.

“In the second battle in the same area, our comrades fought fiercely and did not give up until they ran out of ammunition. The regime lost a large number of dead,” the statement concluded.

Arrests

North Darfur Popular Defence Forces coordinator Ahmed Adam Abdelgadir also reported the arrest of Nimir Abdelrahman, in addition to Fadul Hussein and Gusta Djamat in Kalimendo locality on Monday.

Meanwhile the commissioner of Taweisha locality, Abakar Adam Ismail, said that they captured two rebel leaders: Amar Omar Ali Koko and Abdallah Mohamed Saleh.

Yesterday the two SLM groups claimed the killing of 214 troops of the RSF in East and North Darfur. “The government RSF militia took advantage of the ceasefire which the movement recently signed unilaterally in the presence of Unamid officials, and intercepted the convoys on Saturday,” the military spokesman for the SLM-MM told Radio Dabanga.

The renewed fighting between government forces and rebels on more than one front in Darfur on Saturday triggered widespread reactions in the country and abroad, in particular as the Sudanese government has repeatedly declared that the situation in Darfur has become stable after the armed movements have been annihilated.