Sudan Army Denies Attacks After Darfur Deal

JEM seized Minnawi`s stronghold in the south Darfur town of Muhajiriya in January, and the two sides have clashed since.

Sudan's army on Thursday denied accusations it attacked a Darfur rebel group a day after the country signed a goodwill agreement with the movement.

Darfur's rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said government forces and allied militias launched air and ground attacks on two of their positions on Wednesday, killing at least four civilians in the bombardment.

The reports came a day after JEM and Sudan's government signed an unprecedented deal in Qatar, promising a prisoner exchange and other confidence-building measures to pave the way to peace talks.

The deal was sealed amid mounting tension in Africa's largest country ahead of a decision by judges from the International Criminal Court on whether to issue an arrest warrant for Sudan's president Omar Hassan al-Bashir on charges of orchestrating genocide in Darfur.

Sudan's armed forces released a short statement to state media dismissing the reports of attacks as "unfounded allegations".

"There were no clashes between the army and the Justice and Equality Movement in the eastern Jabel Marra as was reported on Wednesday," the statement from the Sudanese Media Centre said.

The army added the ground clashes with JEM reported in North Darfur had involved troops loyal to Minni Arcua Minnawi, the only Darfur rebel leader to sign a peace deal with the government in 2006.

No one was immediately available to comment from the faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) led by Minnawi who became a presidential assistant after the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement.

JEM seized Minnawi's stronghold in the south Darfur town of Muhajiriya in January, and the two sides have clashed since.

The United Nations on Wednesday said Sudanese authorities had promised to give aid groups access to 100,000 civilians in Muhajiriya and surrounding areas. The U.N. earlier accused authorities of blocking aid flights to the region after the government retook Muhajiriya this month.

JEM's reports of bombing in Darfur's mountainous east Jabel Marra area was confirmed by Abdel Wahed Mohamed Ahmed al-Nur, the Paris-based leader of a separate arm of the Sudan Liberation Army, who said he controlled the territory that was attacked.

JEM and the SLA launched a rebellion against Sudan's government in 2003, demanding development and political representation for the region.

Khartoum mobilised mostly Arab militias to crush the revolt and denies accusations from activists that it committed genocide during the counter-insurgency.