SAF denies Border Guards’ defection in North Darfur

The defection a week ago of a group of paramilitary combatants allied to the Sudan Armed Forces in North Darfur was an attempt to escape military service, rather than insurgency, the army spokesman claims. Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) spokesman Colonel El Sawarmi Khaled Saad has denied the defection of Border Guards lieutenant Musab Hamdo Salem in El Fasher. “The Sudanese army is coherent,” El Sawarmi Saad stressed to the Sudanese El Yaum El Tali newspaper on Monday. The group of Border Guards announced their rebellion against the government on 20 October. Their defection came as a result of the Khartoum regime’s practices, which Salem described as “fascist” and “criminal”. He called for moving toward the Sudanese capital, “as a sacred duty”. Also on Monday, the defectors clashed with SAF troops in El Fasher. The Border Guards lieutenant claimed that the army surrounded them in El Ziyadiya district, with three tanks and approximately 70 vehicles. As the group attempted to leave through El Fasher’s eastern exit, both parties engaged in fighting, using heavy artillery. File photo: Soldiers of the Sudan Armed Forces waiting in El Fasher, North Darfur, 2008 (Rob Crilly) Related:Dissident Border Guards confirm North Darfur clash (24 October 2014) Army besiege district in El Fasher, North Darfur (22 October 2014)Two troops killed in attack on Um Maraheik, North Darfur (22 October 2014)