Sudan says 151 rebels slain in Darfur fighting
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Sudan says a pro-government militia has killed 151 rebels in clashes this week in the country's restive Darfur region.
The semi-official Sudanese Media Center says the rebels were killed in a counter-insurgency campaign. It quotes militia commander Abbas Abdel-Aziz as saying Tuesday that several commanders of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement were among those killed.
Army spokesman Col. Sawarme Khalid told state radio that fighting broke out on Sunday in northern Darfur, killing at least 75 rebels.
The disparate figures couldn't immediately be reconciled.
The U.N. said earlier this month that nearly 100,000 people have fled their homes in Darfur because of an upsurge of violence.
Darfur has been gripped by bloodshed since 2003 when rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum, accusing it of discrimination and neglect.
