7 killed in East Darfur gunmen attack

Six policemen and one woman have been killed after gunmen attacked a police station in East Darfur, Sudan. Six more people were injured in the attack that took place 60 kilometres from ed-Daein, the state capital. Staff at the station was guarding schools where schoolchildren were sitting exams for the national elementary certificate. East Darfur's deputy governor Ahmed Jibril said on Saturday that gunmen did not attack exam halls but condemned the assault on local police forces. Security vehicles were also hijacked during the operation. Speaking after a visit to the area, Jibril said the army and security forces were chasing the assailants, whom he said had headed south towards the state's border with South Darfur. Sources in East Darfur, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arabstoday the attackers belonged to Minni Minnawi’s branch of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), in alliance with the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF). Both groups are based in strongholds located in borderlands between East and South Darfur, which they use as launching pads for operations.