11/21/2012 12:51 GMT
KHARTOUM, Nov 21, 2012 (AFP) - Rebels in Sudan's Darfur region on Wednesday accused 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 kilometres (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 on Wednesday.
The Sudanese Revolutionary Front is an alliance of rebel groups from different Sudanese states. It says it is fighting to overthrow the Arab-dominated Khartoum regime.
JEM's allegation of the bombing coincides with growing concern over delays in implementing security and oil deals which the leaders of Sudan and South Sudan hailed in September as ending conflict, after they fought along their undemarcated border in March and April.
The Samaha region is one of five areas disputed by Khartoum and the South's government in Juba.
They have not been able to resolve the disputes despite African Union (AU) mediation which led to the September deals that included a demilitarised border buffer zone.
The two nations have not, however, been able to agree on practical steps to implement those security arrangements, the AU said on November 10, urging "full and timely implementation".
On Monday the US State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, called on Sudan and South Sudan to meet again and recommit themselves to the September 27 accords.
"The creation of the safe demilitarised border zone between the two countries is vital to ensure that both countries honour their commitments to cease support to proxies and, most importantly, prevent inter-state conflict," she said in a statement.
str-it/bpz
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