A Sudanese army officer was killed and four soldiers injured by fire exchange between the army forces and an armed group in El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur State.

"A joint force has tracked an uncontrolled group responsible for recent chaos and exchanged fire with it," Abdul-Wahid Yousif, Governor of North Darfur State, told reporters.

"The fire exchange resulted in the martyrdom of Lieutenant Abdalla Al-Tayeb Abdalla, who belongs to the Sudanese Armed Forces, and injuring four," he added.

He said that the armed forces were still pursuing the group after determining their location.

Meanwhile, eyewitnesses reportedly said that an armed group aboard seven vehicles attacked the grand market in El Fasher and looted some of the market shops.

North Darfur State's Security Committee has issued orders including preventing movement of cars without plates and prohibiting car shading.

Three Darfur armed groups, the Justice and Equality Movement, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Sudan Liberation Movement, have been fighting the central government in Darfur region since 2003.

source: Xinhua