New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday condemned the aerial bombing of rebel positions by the Sudanese government and fresh clashes between rebel groups in the troubled Darfur region.

The Sudanese government confirmed that its air force bombed positions of the rebel group Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in south Darfur's Muhajeria area on Tuesday. The UN said JEM rebels also clashed with its rival, the Sudan Liberation Army/Minni Minawi, on Thursday.

Ban said in a statement that those military action violated UN Security Council resolutions and urged all parties to halt violence and accept a ceasefire.

"Military action is not a viable solution to ending the conflict in Darfur and can only result in the unwarranted death and suffering of the civilian population of Darfur," Ban said.

The conflict in Darfur has continued unabated despite diplomatic efforts aimed at ending it with a peace settlement. More than 300,000 people have been killed since 2005 and some 2 million people have become refugees because of the fighting. (dpa)