KHARTOUM, 21 June 2004 — One of the two main Sudanese rebel groups in the western region of Darfur said yesterday it had gained control of more territory by filling a vacuum left by the government since a cease-fire agreement was signed in April.

The official of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), who asked not to be named because he is based in Khartoum, said the movement had armed and trained new supporters in areas previously outside its control.

The areas include the towns of Geraida and Labadu in South Darfur state and Kurma and Shingul Tubay in North Darfur, he added.

“There are areas in which there is no government presence but in which we have supporters, so we have moved in to provide protection for these supporters,” he said.

His statement comes a day after Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir ordered “complete mobilization” to disarm all illegal armed groups in Darfur.

The government says the April 8 cease-fire banned moving forces into new areas and that the aim of a government campaign to disarm the rebels is to restore the April status quo.

The truce has reduced the intensity of the conflict but the government and the groups — the SLM and the Justice and Equality Movement — accuse each other of frequent violations.

The SLM official said the group was responding in part to the activities of government forces and denied it was violating the truce.“We are not moving forces. People are joining up because of what the government is doing to them. We are only arming and training them and they are establishing garrisons in their villages and towns,” he said.

“After the government bombed Tabit (in Northern Darfur state), 300 villagers joined up and it was then that we gained Shingul Tubay, which is very close to Tabit. The government is doing this to themselves,” he said.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail told reporters on Saturday that one of the responsibilities of an African Union cease-fire monitoring team would be to establish the territories of the different forces.

The government of Sudan’s responsibility is to punish any movement by any force outside of the demarcated area, he added.

Other participants in the Darfur conflict are the Arab militias known as the Janjaweed, who have been attacking African villagers and driving them from their homes.