The local government of Sudan's Southern Darfur State condemned Darfur rebels Tuesday for staging an attack on the state's Taweela city.

The government said in a statement that the attack caused civilian casualties, but it did not mention when the attack took place.

The statement said the rebels took advantage of a latest UN resolution on Sudan to launch more attacks against locals in the area.

The statement also accused the international community of encouraging the rebels to sow more disorder and fear in the region.

The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1593 last week, which decides to refer war crime suspects in Darfur to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Sudan rejected the resolution, saying it lacks the base of objective justice and violates its sovereignty.

Rebels in Sudan's western Darfur region took up arms against the government in February 2003, accusing it of neglecting the barren area and arming militia to burn, loot and kill local farmers.

During the two-year violence, thousands of people have been killed and more than 1 million displaced.