Darfur rebel group seizes army garrison town
CAIRO (AP) – A powerful Darfur rebel group says it seized control of a strategic town in northern Darfur that the Sudanese army was using as a base.
Ahmed Hussein, a spokesman for the Justice and Equality Movement, says rebels took control of Kornoi town Saturday.
The joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur says wounded army soldiers sought assistance at its mission’s base nearby. The total number of casualties was unclear.
The Sudanese government could not be reached for comment.
The Justice and Equality Movement has been fighting since February to wrestle control of key areas in Darfur from rivals.
The Darfur conflict has claimed nearly 300,000 lives and displaced 2.7 million people since 2003.