SAF And JEM Clash Yet Again

14 July 2010 - (Darfur) – The government of Sudan and the anti-government group the Justice and Equality Movement clashed on Tuesday at Al-Kuma and Walawabod east of El-Fashir town in north Darfur.

A JEM official, Abubakar Hamid, claims that JEM captured SAF soldiers and military equipment.

He spoke to SRS on Tuesday from Darfur.

[Abubakar Hamid]: “Yesterday morning east of El-Fashir, at Al-Kuma and Lawabit, around two brigades were moving in the area. They intended to ambush us, but they clashed with our forces and they were repulsed. They were defeated and fled east and entered Lawabit. They were chased and completely stripped of their machinery like four wheel drive vehicles. We captured a great number of weapons and some prisoners of war.”

The official spokesman for the Sudan Armed Forces, Colonel Al-Sawarmi Khalid denied any of their soldiers or equipment had been captured by JEM.

He spoke to SRS from Khartoum on Tuesday.

[Al-Sawarmi Khalid]: “SAF chased a group belonging to JEM. This group was withdrawing from Adola mountains. On their way, they entered a small village called Lawabit near Al-Kuma, and killed some police officers who were there, then they withdrew and a clash occurred between them and SAF at Al-Koma area at seven in the morning, then another clash at two. There was no big fighting between SAF and JEM.”

The fighting between JEM and SAF has become more frequent since JEM suspended its participation in the talks last May saying the government violated the framework agreement they signed together in Doha.