Sudan said to arrest 30 civilians

KHARTOUM, Sudan, May 15 (UPI) -- A rebel group in Sudan has accused the Sudanese security service of arresting 30 civilians in a South Darfur area recently attacked by another rebel group.

Gibreel Adam Bilal, a spokesman for the Justice and Equality Movement, said in a statement the civilians arrested by security agents in Gueraida included elderly people, women and political and human rights activists, the Sudan Tribune reported.

Sudan Liberation Movement fighters had attacked Gueraida May 8. The Sudanese army said its troops had defeated the rebels before pulling out.

Bilal said two men and a woman were transferred to an unknown destination.

He urged the U.N.-affiliated peacekeeping mission, the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, to pressure Sudanese authorities to release the civilians.

Tijani Sissi, head of Darfur Regional Authority, said after meeting with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir that the rebel group's attacks were aimed at undermining peace in the region.

Sissi said Bashir has committed to providing the authority funds to enforce a peace deal and pledged to protect civilians who return to their villages in Darfur.