Sudanese govt forces bomb near North Darfur-UN

UNITED NATIONS, May 13 (Reuters) - Sudanese government forces on Wednesday carried out a bombing raid near a town in Sudan's western Darfur region that has been the scene of recent fighting, a U.N. spokeswoman said.

"UNAMID forces observed Sudanese government aircraft bombing targets north of Umm Baru, a North Darfur town that has been the scene of recent fighting," U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas told reporters.

She was referring to the joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur, known as UNAMID.

Montas said UNAMID troops and police had heard several explosions early on Wednesday.

Sudan's U.N. ambassador, Abdalmahmoud Abdalhaleem, was not immediately available for comment.

Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebels said on Saturday that they had fought off an ambush in Umm Baru by Sudanese armed forces and troops loyal to former rebel Minni Arcua Minnawi, the only Darfur rebel to sign a peace deal with the government in 2006. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Sandra Maler)