Darfur rebels say bombing drives thousands from homes

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Darfur rebels accused the government of bombing South Darfur on Thursday, the latest attack in an aerial campaign that has driven thousands of people from their homes over the past month.

"There is aerial bombardment on a daily basis -- bombing by MiG 29 and by Antonov (in South Darfur)," Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) commander Abdel Aziz el-Nur Ashr said.

Ashr said 20,000 people in the area south west of Adila town near the eastern border of Darfur had fled their homes to the bush without access to clean water during the fighting which has been ongoing for the past month.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has deplored the recent surge in violence as "simply unacceptable", is due to arrive in Khartoum on Monday as part of a tour which he said aimed to lay the foundations for lasting peace in Darfur.

Ban has condemned government bombardment in South Darfur as a violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution.

Speaking ahead of his trip, he said he would press the Sudanese government to support a joint United Nations and African Union peacekeeping force due to go to Darfur, adding the mission was doomed without Khartoum's cooperation.