| Darfur rebels accused the Sudanese government on Sunday of bombing its areas for two days, killing at least 17 civilians, in an attempt to delay a conference of rebel leaders. A Sudanese army spokesman was not immediately available to comment. The government regularly denies bombing in Darfur which would be a violation of ceasefire agreements and UN Security Council resolutions. “The government on Saturday and Friday bombed our areas in Ein Sirro, and in Kurmuk,” said Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). Both areas are in North Darfur and controlled by the rebels. “Until now we have counted at least 17 civilians killed.” Rebel commander from the rival Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Jar el-Neby also accused the government of bombing. “They bombed for about five hours (on Saturday),” he said. “I think they are trying to stop our commanders’ conference.” Rebel commanders want to hold a conference in Darfur to unite their positions ahead of peace talks. There are more than a dozen rebel factions. Rebels say they want guarantees the army will not attack or bomb their meeting. President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has agreed not to attack the rebels during their conference but the African Union has twice accused the government of bombing rebel positions. Experts estimate the four-year-old conflict in Darfur has killed 200,000 and driven around 2.5 million from their homes. |