DARFUR, October 13 (IslamOnline.net) - Many Sudanese say they were abducted by rebel groups in the troubled region of Darfur and forced, at gunpoint, to fight government troops.

"I used to help my family cultivate our land. One morning in September a jeep stopped by and two armed men jumped on me," 19-year-old Othman, told IslamOnloine.net.

"They pushed me into their jeep at gunpoint and three hours later stopped in an area near the city of Kabkabiya," said Othman, who hails from Al-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province.

"They moved me to a training camp where I and others received training in the morning and evening. We used to sleep in the same place."

Othman said that after two weeks of training he was taken to another area near Jebel Marra "where I met two fellows from Al-Fasher who said they were also abducted by the rebels."

He further added they were all trained on attacking the Sudanese army and police posts.

"We were told that our mission was to kill as many policemen as possible and also to seize their weapons, especially trucks."

Othman added that he and three others were picked to escort one of their trainers to attack a police station in a village near Kabkabiya.

"The vehicle broke down in the way and as they [the trainer and the driver] were busy fixing it, we left the weapons and took to our heels."

He said the two chased them and gunned down his two companions.

"I was wounded in the hand but kept running until I reached the police station and reported the whole episode."

Despite the curfew imposed by the Sudanese government in the main towns of Darfur, rebels continue to attack army and police posts.

Three army soldiers were killed and their weapons seized on September 22 in a rebel attack on the Kalma refugee camp, which houses about 80000 people.

Al-Dom, a 20-year-old shepherd from Nyala, also said his brother was kidnapped by the Darfur rebels.

"I was grazing my cows with my younger brother in mid-August when rebels driving in two trucks cut off our road. They asked me to give up half of my cows as a contribution to their efforts to free us from government oppression."

He went on: "When I refused, they took away my brother and some of my cows and tied me. Hours later I managed to free myself and reported the incident to police. The rebels have not released my brother since then."

Moussa, 35, was abducted early in 2004 by Darfur rebels from his village in Zalingei, west of Darfur.

"They threatened me to either cooperate or be killed. I bowed to their demands."

After spending few months time with the rebels, Moussa was sent on a mission to spy on police stations but he surrendered to the Sudanese authorities.

The Darfur conflict erupted in April 2003 when the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLA) took up arms against the Khartoum government.

The United Nations said the conflict is causing the world's worst humanitarian crisis at present.

An estimated 670000 people have fled their homes in Darfur since the beginning of the conflict while 110000 others reportedly sought refuge in neighboring Chad.