Sudan: Gunmen kill 20 civilians in Darfur village

(SomaliNet) Unidentified gunmen have attacked a village in Darfur, killing about 20 civilians, a spokesperson for the Sudanese armed forces said on Thursday.

Raging violence has caused a breakdown of law and order in Darfur in western Sudan, with inter-tribal clashes and rebel infighting adding to the suffering of civilians.

A Darfur rebel group blamed pro-government militiamen for the dawn raid on Wednesday against the village of Al-Sunta in southern Darfur.

\"The militias of the regime attacked an area in southern Darfur. They assassinated about 25 people, all civilians,\" said Al-Hadi al-Tijani, who identified himself as a spokesperson of a rebel coalition called the New Sudan Brigade.
The armed forces\' spokesperson denied government involvement.

\"It was a tribal clash, the armed forces had nothing to do with it,\" the spokesperson said.

\"It is a criminal case. Police are chasing the attackers and they have not yet identified which tribe did it.\"

Among the dead were the mayor of the village and a prayer leader, he said.

Adrian Edwards, a spokesperson for the joint United Nations and African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, said: \"We have a report about a tribal clash in the area.\" He had no further details.

International experts estimate 200 000 have died and more than million have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict flared in 2003 when rebels took up arms against the central government, accusing it of neglecting the region.

The government mobilised mainly Arab militias to quell the revolt. The United States calls the violence genocide. Sudan rejects this and says only 9 000 people have lost their lives.-Reuters