A fighting between a former rebel group and the Janjaweed militia in the Darfur town of Al-Fashir on Monday led to dozens of casualties on both sides, the Alwan daily reported on Tuesday.

Mini Arkou Minawi, leader of former rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) which signed the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) with the Sudanese government in May, told the newspaper that the Janjaweed militia, which he said were continuously receiving support from the government, attacked the town in north Darfur on Monday.

Minawi said that the fighting took place as his SLM forces interfered to protect civilians whose shops and houses were being looted by the militia.

He said that Monday's attack was a serious breach of the peace deal he signed with Khartoum, and it threatened his movement's participation in the government.

However, Presidential Adviser Majzoub al-Khalifa described what had happened in Al-Fashir as "an isolated and separate event which had been contained" and denied that the event was a violation of the peace agreement.

Minawi signed the AU-sponsored DPA with the Sudanese government on May 5 and was sworn in as a senior presidential adviser in August.

But other rebel factions have refused to accept the peace agreement, claiming that it was unfair and did not meet all their demands.

The largest city in Sudan's troubled western region of Darfur, Al-Fashir, is also the main base for AU observers and has a large population of refugees.

Source: Xinhua