22 January 2006
Rebel commanders in the troubled Darfur region of Sudan are saying that government aircraft have bombed northern areas of the province, in breach of a ceasefire. Three villages had been hit over the weekend. African Union troops are investigating the claims. The Sudanese government has denied the reports, which come days after Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir vowed to adhere to a UN peace plan. More than 200,000 people have died and 2.5m have fled their homes in Darfur. A commander from the rebel Justice and Equality Movement said three villages had been destroyed by Sudanese aircraft in north Darfur. He did not say how many people had died. The Sudanese army denied the allegation. "We never bombard civilians anywhere," a military spokesman told the "Associated Press" news agency. Earlier this month a UN envoy said president Bashir was fully committed to a UN plan to send a joint UN and African peacekeeping force to Darfur. Some 7,000 African Union troops are already on the ground but have not been able to stop the violence – mostly blamed on pro-government Arab militias.
