United Nations Darfur Force to Investigate Claims of Bombings

``I know definitely that there have been bombings,'' said Kemal Saiki, director of public information for the mission, known as Unamid. He called the information is secondhand and said it came from various sources, not only rebels.

The claims of fresh attacks come less than a week after Sudan's President Umar al-Bashir declared and called for the disarmament of rebels in the country's western region to quell a conflict that has killed 300,000 people.

Sudan's army spokesman Sawarmi Khalid denied any aerial bombardment.

``The army is committed to the cease-fire, except in cases of self-defense,'' Khalid said. The only recent military action in Darfur was against bandits in the Kurbia area of northern Darfur on Nov. 15, and that was to protect civilians whose cars were being hijacked, he added. The army had fired on the bandits, who then fled, Khalid said by phone today from the capital, Khartoum.

Rebel Group

The Justice and Equality Movement, Darfur 's most powerful rebel group, has accused the Sudanese government of engaging in a new round of fighting during the past few days, including bombardments.

``Instead of paving the way for a peaceful settlement, the Sudan government is opening new ways of extension of the aggression and destabilization of the region,'' El-Tahir El- Faki, a spokesman for the movement, said by telephone from his home in London today.

Both El-Faki and Abdulwahid El Nour, head of one faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army said government army planes bombed rebel-held areas many times since last week's cease-fire announcement.

Aerial attacks in the Jebel Moon area of western Darfur killed civilians, El-Faki said. His commanders are ``still counting the number of dead.''