Sudan bombed disputed land

Rebels in Sudan’s Darfur region accused yesterday the government of bombing around a disputed border region, after the army threatened force against the insurgents who set up a compound there. “Yesterday and the day before yesterday there was intensive aerial bombardment around the Samaha area,” said Gibril Adam Bilal, spokesman for the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). He said the bombs landed in civilian areas and did not hit rebel positions. On Monday, army spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Saad said the Sudanese Revolutionary Front — to which JEM belongs — built a compound, set up a checkpoint and was flying its flag in the Al-Regaibat area, 10 kilometers (six miles) north of Samaha at the Bahr Al-Arab River. Sudan and South Sudan dispute the area, which Sudan considers to be part of East Darfur state. “The Sudanese Armed Forces will not stand with hands tied in the face of this aggression, and will respond to this and any similar incidents by force,” Saad was quoted as saying by the official SUNA news agency. He could not be reached yesterday.