At least 20 soldiers were killed in a fighting in the restive western Sudanese region of Darfur near the Chadian border, a spokesman of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) told Xinhua on Monday.

Osman Mohammed al-Aghbash, the SAF spokesman, said that 20 soldiers were killed and 31 others injured in the Sunday clash between army troops and a large armed group of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) at the Umm Baru area in the North Darfur State.

He added that in the fighting, the troops routed an attack of the rebel group, causing it heavy casualties and material losses.

"43 elements of the rebel movement were killed and 54 injured, while 32 armed vehicles were burned or destroyed and 4 vehicles were captured," the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the hybrid peacekeeping forces of the United Nations and the African Union in Darfur (UNAMID) said the Sudanese army had gained a full control of the Umm Baru area following the fighting.

"Sudan's army is in control of the area which was attacked by fighters from the Justice and Equality Movement", Ahmed Salah, one of the leading spokesmen of the UNAMID, told Xinhua.

He said that about 350 civilians were dwelling around a UNAMID camp to escape the fighting, adding that they were in dire need of urgent humanitarian aid.

The UNAMID issued a statement in Khartoum on Monday condemning the heavy fighting in the Umm Baru area, in which dozens of people were killed or injured and hundreds of civilians were forced to seek shelter around a UNAMID camp.

According to the statement, UNAMID peacekeepers based at a camp near Umm Baru reported that at least 53 people had been seriously injured and needed evacuation for further medical treatment, and that the casualties include civilians, government soldiers and JEM members.

The situation on the ground was reported to be calmer on Monday, and UNAMID peacekeepers were continuing to monitor the situation, the statement noted.

Also in the statement, the UNAMID chief Rodolphe Adada condemned Sunday's fighting, and reiterated his condemnation of all forms of violence.

Adada urged all parties to the Darfur conflict to seek a peaceful resolution to their dispute.

It was the second time in eight days that JEM armed elements attacked a Sudanese military position in North Darfur. On May 16, they attacked government forces based near the town of Kornoi, located between Umm Baru and the Chadian border.

Source:Xinhua