‘Village destroyed, civilians dead and injured in Darfur air raid’: villagers

An “intense air bombardment”, allegedly by the Sudanese Air Force, reportedly caused an unknown number of casualties and completely destroyed the village of Abu Tega in North Darfur on Tuesday. A villager fleeing the area told Radio Dabanga that from 12pm until 1pm, two Antonov aircraft strafed the area to the east and west of the main highway that connects El Fasher and Nyala, capitals of North and South Darfur. Areas east, north, and west of Marshang locality in South Darfur were also reportedly targeted. Witnesses counted a total of 25 bombs that were dropped. “The village of Abu Tega to the west of Shangil Tobay was completely burned and the population fled in all directions.” The source said while he was sure that there were “many dead and injured”, he could not yet account for the human casualties due to their dispersal. In the meantime, the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) has adjusted to 21, its original claim of 15 casualties in an attack on a military convoy to the east of Kass in South Darfur on Monday. Speaking from the field on behalf of the SRF, military spokesman for the SLM-Abdel Wahid, Mustapha Tambour, told Radio Dabanga that 21 members of the government column were killed, including First Lieutenant Taim Yassin on the 19th Infantry Brigade. Tambour claims that the rebels destroyed seven Land Cruisers, while capturing five ‘Dushka’ machine guns, eight guns, 38 other weapons and 19 boxes of ammunition. Radio Dabanga was unable to independently verify the SRF report. File photo Related: 70,000 ‘facing extreme difficulty’ in Darfur’s East Jebel Marra: displaced (20 August 2013) ‘15 Sudanese government troops and militiamen killed’: rebels (19 August 2013) ‘At least four dead, entire village destroyed in Darfur air raids’: witnesses (18 August 2013)