Rebels dismiss Central Darfur’s celebration of ‘victory in battle of Nierteti’ as ‘desperate ploy’

On Wednesday in Zalingei, the Central Darfur State authorities exhibited what was termed “the booty” taken from Sudan Liberation Movement troops led by Abdel Wahid El Nur (SLM-AW) the day before in the “battle of Nierteti”. Speaking to Radio Dabanga, Mohamed Abakar Hassan Hamedein, the spokesman for the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in West Darfur State, clarified that the exhibition of the “seized Land Cruisers” was part of the celebration of “the victory of the Sudanese army forces over the rebels in the battle that took place west of Nierteti on Tuesday”. The NCP spokesman pointed out that the armed forces also captured “a number of insurgents” during the “Nierteti battle” that developed after “the SLM rebel forces on Tuesday had attacked a commercial convoy”. Hamedein accused the rebel movements’ targeting of commercial convoys, of civilians and their property, making transport insecure, “to the extent that the Abarsi Company, one of the major transport companies operating in Darfur, decided to suspend its activities in Darfur”. Second battle The SLM-AW strongly denied the victory of the Sudanese army in the area west of Nierteti and the capture of rebel troops and vehicles. Mustafa Tambur, the SLM-AW military spokesman told Radio Dabanga that the celebration in Zalingei was organised for propaganda reasons. He called it “a desperate attempt to raise the morale of the defeated forces and to create a public opinion based on false facts”. Tambur stressed that the SLM forces defeated the “government forces” in the area of ​​Foka Dako, west of Neirteti and seized four four-wheel-drive vehicles mounted with machine guns. He explained that after the first battle another one took place, on the same day. When the SLM troops were heading towards the area north-west of Jebel Marra, they clashed with two other military convoys, one coming from Zalingei and the other from Nierteti. In this clash the government troops seized three vehicles the SLM had captured in the first battle. “The Land Cruisers exhibited in Zalingei”, Tambur said, “are these three vehicles plus three other ones that broke down that day and left behind by our troops”. Tambur also denied the capture of any SLM troops by the Sudanese army. “The army arrested some herdsmen and seized two of their Land Cruisers. These vehicles were shown too during the celebration, and the herdsmen were presented as the captured rebels.” File photo Related: SLM-AW rebels claim attack on Abu Tira convoy in Central Darfur (7 January 2014)Cases of highway robbery across Darfur (2 January 2014)Highway robberies curtail road transport to Darfur (31 December 2013)