7 killed, 30+ injured in clashes between IDPs and gov't forces in Deleij camp and Geneina town, west Darfur

The adviser to the Minister of Information in the Government of National Unity, Dr. Rabbie Abdullaati, denied the involvement of the Sudan Armed Forces in the incident.

From Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 30 November 2009:

(Khartoum) - Seven people were killed and more than thirty others injured in the clashes between IDPs and government forces in west Darfur last Friday.

The clashes erupted when IDPs declared their support for Sudan Liberation Movement rebel leader Abdelwahid al-Nur and refused to take part in the voter registration exercise.

IDP spokesperson, Hussein Abu Sharati, described the incident to SRS on Sunday.

[Hussein Abu Sharati Arabic]: “On Friday, government forces and the Janjaweed militia came to register people in Deleij IDP camp and Geneina town, but the civilians refused to take part in the voter registration exercise, demanding that the government should bring peace by negotiating with the rebel groups in Darfur, disarm the militias and bring those who committed atrocities to justice. The IDPs said that they will only register if Abdelwahid returns to Sudan. That’s when the government soldiers and the Janjaweed started to force people to register. Then they asked the civilians to hand over the person that they wanted to vote for. Then they started shooting at people. They killed seven people and wounded thirty-seven others.”

However, the adviser to the Minister of Information in the Government of National Unity, Dr. Rabbie Abdullaati, denied the involvement of the Sudan Armed Forces in the incident.

[Dr. Rabbie Abdullaati]: “There is no evidence to prove these accusations. Maybe that incident was perpetrated by the Darfur anti-government groups who are divided into many factions. They want to disrupt the security situation, in order to send negative signals to other countries and bodies that support the anti-government groups in Darfur.”

Dr. Rabbie Abdullaati was speaking to SRS from Khartoum on Monday.

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UPDATE on Tuesday at 14:48 PM GMT UK December 1, 2009:

See Sudan Watch today: UNAMID strongly rejects accusations in a Sudan Tribune report against its peacekeepers