Sudan says Darfur rebels killed 41 in Kordofan attack

By Simon Apiku

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese rebels from war-torn Darfur killed 41 people in an attack earlier this week on a base for government forces in the neighboring Kordofan region, Sudan's interior ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

"Information shows there were 41 martyrs, including people from the area," the ministry said, without saying how many of the dead were members of its forces.

On Wednesday, Darfur rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Army's Unity faction (SLA Unity) said they had seized an army base in Wad Banda in North Kordofan State.

The interior ministry said the attack was on a base for central reserve forces, a branch of the police.

The fighting came just days before U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was due to arrive in Sudan to try to set a timetable to revive Darfur peace talks between the government and rebels after a May 2006 deal faltered.

The rebels said the base they attacked was the logistical and supply centre for ongoing attacks in South Darfur, where rebels say an aerial bombing campaign has driven thousands of people from their homes over the past month.

Ban, due to arrive on Monday, has deplored the recent surge of violence as "simply unacceptable" and has condemned the government bombardment as a violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution.

The Sudanese interior ministry statement said that following the Kordofan attack, a combined force of police and armed forces pursued the rebels and captured a number of them in an ambush. It did not say how many rebels it captured.