New fighting in Darfur

The fighting erupted in the mountainous Jebel Marra region, despite a unilateral ceasefire decreed by the Sudanese government.

According to the spokesman of the rebel movement, the Sudan Liberation Army, quoted by Agence France Presse, the regime’s soldiers tried to take their positions but they were rejected.

AFP says the United States has confirmed the fighting and is deeply concerned.

The spokesman for the US State Department said in a statement that credible reports of villages targeted by attacks during the fighting resulted in the displacement of thousands of civilians.

Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has repeatedly stated in recent months that the conflict in Darfur is over.

The UN Security Council adopted in June 2017 a resolution decreasing by 30% the number of forces constituting the joint UN-African Union mission in Darfur (Minuad), despite the reluctance of human rights organizations .