KHARTOUM, March 16- The governor of Sudan’s troubled North Darfur state has survived an ambush after visiting a town briefly seized by rebels, a source familiar with the incident said on Sunday.
“He’s OK,” the source told AFP after the Saturday attack against North Darfur governor Osman Kbir.
It came while he was returning to state capital El Fasher after assessing the situation in Mellit town, more than 50 kilometres (30 miles) north, said the source who asked for anonymity.
There was no indication of who carried out the ambush.
The state linked Sudanese Media Centre (SMC) reported that Kbir, accompanied by a legislative and security delegation, had visited the area but the report made no mention of an attack.
SMC is close to Sudan’s security apparatus.
The official SUNA news agency on Saturday quoted Kbir as saying Mellit was “fully under control of the armed forces” after the attack by rebels.
Minni Minnawi, who heads a faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army, told AFP on Thursday that his forces had captured the town.
It was the fourth major outbreak of worsening violence in North and South Darfur since late February.