Darfur rebels make plea to former ally amid fighting

DARFUR rebels called on a former ally to rejoin their ranks yesterday as a top UN envoy said the government had lost two major battles in the western region, with reports of “very high” losses.

Sudan’s government signed a peace accord in May with one of three rebel factions. But since returning to Khartoum, the head of that group — former rebel Minni Arcua Minnawi — has lost ground in Darfur and been sidelined on the political scene.

“Minni was betrayed by the international community and the government,” said Khalil Ibrahim, a senior member of a new rebel alliance called the National Redemption Front (NRF).