Sudan severs ties with Chad

Sudan cut diplomatic relations with Chad yesterday after an attack on Khartoum by Darfur rebels which it said was supported by Chadian President Idriss Deby.

The rebels fought Sudanese troops in a suburb of Khartoum on Saturday in a bid to seize power. Officials said the attack was defeated, but it was the first time in decades of conflict that rebels had brought their battle to the capital.

"These forces are all basically Chadian forces supported and prepared by Chad," President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said on state television. "...We are now cutting our diplomatic relations with this regime."

Bashir said the fighters, who made a lightning advance across 600 km of desert and scrub to attack a western suburb of Khartoum, were led by Khalil Ibrahim of the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

Chad has denied involvement but analysts say it may have backed the JEM rebels to retaliate for an attack on the Chadian capital three months ago.

"It seems that at least in part this is payback for the NCP's (Sudan's ruling party) support for rebels in Chad who almost topped the government there in February," said Amjad Atallah from the Save Darfur Coalition.

Rebels in the south and west of Sudan, Africa's biggest country, have for decades complained of neglect by the Arab-dominated central government.

A peace deal between north and south ended one civil war in 2005 and boosted Sudan's economy by increasing oil production in the south, but that agreement did not cover the conflict that erupted in Darfur five years ago.

Authorities partially lifted a curfew yesterday. It remained in force on the outskirts of Omdurman, as troops hunted down rebels who were wandering the streets early yesterday.

Residents said there was pandemonium on the streets of Omdurman yesterday morning with cars, thought to be filled with rebels, moving around.

State television showed a picture of JEM leader Ibrahim, branding him a war criminal. It called on citizens to pass on any information about his whereabouts and announced a $125,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

The southern Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), which has signed a peace deal with Khartoum, said it was ready to support government forces.

"We are on standby. Khartoum is our capital city and we will not accept anything that will ... undermine our constitution," SPLA acting chief of staff Salva Mathok said.

The undersecretary at Sudan's Foreign Ministry, Mutrif Siddig, said the Chadian Embassy in Khartoum had been searched by security forces overnight.

Deby and Bashir signed a non-aggression pact in March, pledging not to let their territory be used by rebels hostile to each other. Each has accused the other of breaking the deal.

A senior army commander told Sudan television that security forces had captured more than 100 rebels, many of them just 17-18 years old.

China condemns attacks

China yesterday condemned the rebel attacks on Khartoum. Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said China hopes the Darfur armed rebel group could resume negotiations with the Sudanese government as soon as possible for a comprehensive peace agreement.

Agencies

(China Daily 05/12/2008 page6)