The governor of Sudan\u2019s troubled North Darfur state has survived an ambush after visiting a town briefly seized by rebels, a source familiar with the incident said Sunday. \u201cHe\u2019s OK,\u201d the source told AFP after the Saturday attack against North Darfur governor Osman Kibir, which was the latest sign of instability in the region.<\/p>\n
It came while he was returning to the state capital El Fasher after assessing the situation in Mellit town, more than 50 kilometres (30 miles) north, said the source, who asked for anonymity. There was no indication of who carried out the ambush. <\/p>\n
The state-linked Sudanese Media Centre (SMC) reported that Kibir, accompanied by a legislative and security delegation, had visited the area but the report made no mention of an attack. SMC is close to Sudan\u2019s security apparatus.<\/p>\n
The official SUNA news agency on Saturday quoted Kibir as saying Mellit was \u201cfully under control of the armed forces\u201d after the attack by insurgents. Minni Minawi, who heads a faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army, told AFP on Thursday that his forces had captured the town.<\/p>\n
It was the fourth major outbreak of violence in Darfur since late February, with rebels attacking an area in the southeast and another uprising erupting in the far west, where local sources said militia loyal to Musa Hilal took control of Saraf Omra town. Even before the Mellit incident, about 115,000 people had been displaced by violence in North Darfur and in South Darfur, according to the United Nations.<\/p>\n
International peacekeepers said \u201ca number of military and civilian casualties\u201d were reported after last week\u2019s attack against a Sudanese military base in Mellit. According to the source familiar with the incident there were \u201cheavy losses\u201d among paramilitary forces, but he did not have an exact number.<\/p>\n
Minawi claimed to have killed several dozen government troops but Governor Kibir said it was the rebels who suffered heavy casualties. The African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (Unamid), which has a base outside Mellit, said it treated several victims, one of whom died from injuries.<\/p>\n
Christopher Cycmanick, Unamid\u2019s acting spokesman, told AFP on Sunday that the mission has \u201crepeatedly attempted to access Mellit town and has been denied access.\u201d The restriction is the latest of many cited by Unamid, despite an agreement with the government which says peacekeepers have freedom of movement.<\/p>\n
Rebel-government battles are no longer the main source of violence in Darfur, where insurgents from black tribes began an uprising against the country\u2019s Arab elites in 2003. Over the past two years, Sudan\u2019s deteriorating economy has led to worsening crime and intercommunal tribal clashes, a February report by UN chief Ban Ki-moon said.<\/p>\n
(Source: AFP)<\/p>\n
Map: North Darfur (cropped – OCHA)<\/em><\/p>\n Related: North Darfur Governor survives assassination attempt<\/a> (16 March 2014)<\/em><\/p>\n