Nyala, Sudan--Stacked with rockets and machineguns, dozens of trucks seized from rebels lined the main square of South Darfur's state capital. Proof, Khartoum says, that its forces dealt insurgents a knockout blow.
Troops in camouflage and draped with ammunition pouches chatted on top of the trucks in Nyala, where Sudan was showing off the spoils from a major clash with the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
"It was a battle beyond description, a decisive victory," said Major Nimr Khalifa Abdel Hafiz, an officer with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who took part in the clash near the Tullus area south of Nyala on April 26.
For President Omar al-Bashir's government, the battle was a major step forward in its fight in Darfur, which has been engulfed by violence since ethnic insurgents rebelled against Khartoum's rule 12 years ago.
But rebels insist the conflict is far from over, with JEM spokesman Jibril Bilal telling AFP: "We will never stop fighting these criminals as long as they are fighting our people in Darfur."
And analysts say the tactics used by Bashir -- who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur -- are likely to fuel continued unrest.
Darfur's insurgency was launched in 2003, with the rebels complaining of economic and political marginalisation by the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum.
Bashir unleashed a brutal counter-offensive using Arab militia and the military. The United Nations says the conflict has killed 300,000 and forced 2.5 million from their homes.
AFP
