Khartoum accuses Darfur rebels of truce violation

May 24th, 2004.

KHARTOUM, May 24 (AFP) -- The Sudanese government accused ethnic minority rebels in the western region of Darfur on Monday of perpetrating the most serious violation so far of a six-week-old ceasefire.

South Darfur State governor Adam Hamid Mussa told AFP that there had been both dead and wounded in Saturday's attack on the village of Abquarajel, 15 kilometres (almost 10 miles) south of the state capital of Nyala.

The main rebel faction, the Sudan Liberation Movement, accused pro- government Arab militiamen of massacring 45 residents of the same village last Thursday.

Another 10 people were wounded in the attack which followed a meeting between President Omar al-Beshir and Janjaweed militia commanders in the state, charged senior SLM official Mohamed Mersal.

Beshir travelled to Nyala on Wednesday and said he was determined to resolve the Darfur conflict.

The Sudanese government has faced mounting international anger over the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, which the United Nations describes as the worst in the world.

Some 10,000 people have been killed and more than a million people driven from their homes, as the government has adopted a scorched earth policy in the face of the rebellion launched by members of the Fur, Massalit and Zaghawa minorities in February 2003, according to UN figures.