Darfur rebels say 15 die in army offensive
Darfur rebels said on Wednesday that 15 civilians had been killed in bombing by government planes near the Chad border, in El-Geneina in the Sudan. The bombing raid was part of an offensive to rid the area of insurgents.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called on all sides to show restraint and humanitarian officials warned that some 160,000 refugee’s dependant on aid in the North of West Darfur’s capital, El-Geneina would be severely affected by the fighting.
Aid officials estimate some 20,000 Darfuris fled to Jabel Moun, the town which suffered the casualties, following a Feb 8 army attack in nearby towns.
The Sudanese army said they had launched a “cleansing” campaign in the rebel-held mountainous region to open the door for humanitarian access and to rid the area of Darfur and Chadian insurgents, who were said to be attacking civilians.
An army spokesman said that the situation was completely under control and that they were in the east and the west of the mountains.
U.N. Chief Ban called for an end to the fighting and a return to peace negotiations. He called the bombing of a largely empty refugee camp “unacceptable”. Separately, Ban said in his latest monthly report to the U.N. Security Council that the current security situation in Darfur is deteriorating and has been for the last two months.
This is yet another example of the horror going on in Darfur, which is showing no signs of retreat.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080221/ts_nm/sudan_darfur_dc
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