Sudan bombs Darfur amid talk of peace

KHARTOUM, Sudan, July 26 (UPI) -- As Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was touring Darfur on a peace mission this week, government planes were bombing a village there, a military source says.

Bashir addressed thousands of people in the regional capital of El Fasher in what he called a mission to show the world he is committed to a peaceful resolution of the Darfur conflict. Meanwhile, Sudanese warplanes were attacking a village in North Darfur, The Times of London reported Saturday.

Mohamed Dirbeen, military spokesman of the Sudan Liberation Movement, told newspaper, "Government planes were bombing the village Karbala 64 miles south of El Fasher. The bombing killed three people and injured eight."

An arrest warrant has been issued for Bashir from the International Criminal Court's prosecutor at The Hague, charging him with genocide, murder and crimes against humanity in the slayings of thousands of black Africans in Darfur by Muslim militias loyal to the government.

The report of the bombing raid confirmed the suspicions of some observers that Bashir's trip was mainly a public relations effort by someone trying to evade arrest for his role in the Darfur violence, the newspaper said.