Sudanese armed movement & Eritrea planning attack in east

Text of report by Sudanese Media Centre website on 24 August

Aug 24, 2005 (Khartoum) — The Eritrean authorities have asked the leader of the Justice and Equality Movement [JEM], Dr Khalil Ibrahim, to prepare his forces for a sudden military operation aimed at the east of Sudan. He did not name the operation or its nature.

JEM is fighting the Sudanese government in Darfur Region in western Sudan as well as carrying out armed activities in eastern Sudan through an organization run by the Eritrean government so as to influence the situation in Sudan.

A correspondent from Sudan Safary [newspaper], who is in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, said that the Eritrean request included informing the participants of the military action, that the operation will be carried out by three parties, including the eastern opposition, JEM, as well as the Eritrean intelligence, which will coordinate the operations and determine the target and the zero hour, which will coincide with the formation of the forthcoming government of national unity in Khartoum.