Rebels: shelling kills 12 in C. Darfur, thousands displaced

The military spokesman of the Sudan Liberation Movement-Abdel Wahid (SLM-AW) is accusing the Sudanese government of shelling the Gidu village in West Jebel Marra, Central Darfur and killing 12 civilians on Thursday. Mustafa Tambour said an Antonov airplane bombed Gidu around 3:00pm, burning nine homes and all 12 civilians in them. He added three of the victims were children.In addition, more than 20 people were injured due to the shelling; some of them are in critical conditions.Tambour declared the Sudanese government is bombing civilians’ areas and called on the UN Security Council to establish no-fly zones over Darfur.Gidu residents fled the attacks and are hiding around valleys and mountains, he said.9.000 displaced The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs affirms that recent fighting in West Jebel Marra has led to a new wave of civilian displacement with over 9.000 people arriving in Nertiti over the past week, bringing the total to 17.000.Nertiti is already home to 42.000 displaced, OCHA reported.Fighting in the West Jebel Marra region of Central Darfur reportedly broke out on 23 December, when the SLM-AW claimed to have captured the Jildu garrison, leaving the government with only two strongholds in the area. Jildu is an important junction that connects East and West Jebel Marra (prized for its fertile land), located near the central town of Golo.On 6 February the SLM-AW said it captured a military base in Derbat and withdrew from its military base in Golo, following seniors’ orders to transfer the battle from Darfur to Khartoum.The UN estimates that more than 30.000 people have fled their homes since December.Radio Dabanga file photoRelated: Rebels: fresh clashes in C. Darfur leave ‘39 SAF killed’ (12 February 2013)