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| August 14, 2008 |
The Sudanese government has launched a massive assault in rebel-held areas in north Darfur, near the Libyan border in and around the town of Wadi Atron. Suleman Marajan, n SLA (Unity) commander in the field said the attackers came with more than 300 armed vehicles, hundreds of horses and camels and were accompanied by full air support, including warplanes and attack helicopters.
"The situation now in North Darfur, is very terrible," he said. "Because the government is moved all its troops from different directions. The situation from today it is going very very very difficult."
Khartoum had not commented on the attacks and the AU has no presence in the far north but the SLA/Unity, a rebel group which has expressed willingness to participate in a piece process and which has been providing protection for civilians in this remote area, claims the assault is intended 'to clear way for Chinese oil hunt' in north Darfur."
Indeed, state owned Chinese oil companies have been negotiating with the Khartoum regime to exploit the oil reserves believed to lie beneath the sands of north Darfur.
This is precisely the strategy used by this same regime (then calling themselves the National Islamic Front) when they cleared the oilfields in Southern Sudan of their 'troublesome' inhabitants. Two million people met their deaths as a result.
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