SLM-AW accuse Sudan military of Darfur clash leaving 13 dead, 5,600 displaced

An armed attack in northern Jebel Marra in central Darfur on Thursday left 13 dead, a number of people injured, 5,600 displaced from the area, and at least four people reported to be kidnapped. The Sudan Liberation Movement in Darfur under the leadership of Abdelwahid El Nur (SLM-AW), accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) of launching the attack.

In a statement earlier this week by Walid Abakar Tongo, military spokesperson for the SPM-Darfur Chapter, he said that “the attacking forces assaulted people in the areas, looted their property, and burned their farms”.

He went on to add that the joint military attack used heavy weaponry, leading to a number of injuries which “terrorised locals and caused mass displacement in the area”.

The SLM-AW military spokesperson stated that “repeated attacks would lead to an all-out war, and a return to square one”. According to the statement, he threatened to reconsider the decision in stopping hostilities unilaterally.

The Darfur Bar Association condemned the military attack in Jebel Marra, saying that they held the “authorities responsible for returning to war”.