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Sudanese army refutes reports of death of 200 soldiers in Darfur clashes

KHARTOUM, May 22 (KUNA) -- The Sudanese Army denied Saturday reports claiming the death of 200 soldiers in clashes with of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in the southern province of Darfur.
Official spokesman for the Sudanese Army, Khaled Saad, said in a statement that no causalities were reported on the part of the Sudanese Army during the clashes in Darfur's Um Saoon, adding that the army was still in pursuit of JEM members.
The JEM announced yesterday that around 200 Sudanese army soldiers were killed in clashes with the movement's armed men, with only four being killed on the JEM side.
The Sudanese army said that it controlled a number of key-JEM strongholds in Darfur in the last two weeks, adding that the rebel movement had now become less of a threat in the region.
The JEM is in a state of confusion after Chad refused to received leader of the movement Khalil Ibrahim, who trying to cross areas under JEM control in Darfur to supervise his armed men.
Ibrahim is currently in Libya, holding discussions on the future of the peace process. (end) hhi.gta KUNA 221251 May 10NNNN