Wanted Sudanese rebel escapes

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Oct 11, 2004 (UPI) — Sudan’s opposition People’s Congress Party Monday said a senior party official wanted on charges of attempting to oust the regime has fled the country.

The party said in a statement issued in London and faxed to UPI in Khartoum that Adam Youssef left Sudan and “has started contacts with Sudanese opposition forces and regional powers concerned with the Sudanese crisis.”

Youssef has been pursued by Sudanese authorities since March after he was accused of leading an aborted coup attempt. The hunt for Youssef stepped up last month after authorities said they aborted another attempt to topple the regime.

“The party command decided to order Youssef to leave the country in order to spare the lives of the innocent citizens whose peaceful residential quarters were turned into battle grounds by the security agencies,” the statement said.

Security forces have been conducting wide-scale raids in Khartoum in recent weeks in search of weapons allegedly concealed by the People’s Congress Party for use in the coup attempt.