The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) are reportedly in control of all areas north of Jebel Marra, where fierce fighting between government forces and rebels of the Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Abdelwahid El Nur (SLM-AW) took place during the past few weeks.
Colonel El Nur Ahmed El Gubba told the pro-government Ashorooq satellite channel that his forces are in full control of areas north of Jebel Marra after the capture of Fanga in January.
“The security situation in Jebel Marra is quite stable after the control of strategic area of Fanga, which was a rebel stronghold and the base for their military operations in Darfur”, the colonel said from Fanga.
According to El Gubba, the rebels were definitely weakened after they lost control of Fanga. “This paved the way for the recapture of many important areas in northern Jebel Marra.”
He said that that the SAF will secure all the areas in Jebel Marra so that the newly displaced people will be able to return to their villages.
On 15 January, the SAF, supported by the Sudan Air Force, and large groups of militiamen on camels and horses, launched a major offensive on Jebel Marra, the stronghold of the SLM-AW. The government said it was determined to eliminate the insurgency and halt the rebel attacks on its military and commercial convoys.
According to the UN, the attacks displaced over 90,000 people. Khartoum however dismissed this figure. Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Ali El Sadig, described those figures as “inaccurate” in a press statement on Monday.
He said that the numbers are “based on verbal and hearsay information” from persons who are not able to reach these areas.
According to El Sadig, the number of displaced people by the fighting in Jebel Marra reached 73,000. He claimed that most of them have returned to their home villages after the end of the military operations.
(Sudan Tribune, Radio Dabanga) <
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