Asmara again denies helping Sudan’s Darfur rebels

ASMARA, Dec 6 (AFP) — Eritrea on Monday denied it has links with rebels in Sudan’s western Darfur region and strongly rejected the accusations made at the weekend by the semi-governmental Sudanese Media Center (SMC),

“There are almost daily accusations against us, but Eritrea has nothing to do with the Darfur rebels,” Foreign Minister Ali Said’s chief of staff Ahferom Berhane told AFP by telephone in Asmara.

The SMC alleged in a report published Sunday that three planes had transported weapons and ammunition donated by Eritrea to the Darfur rebels.

The SMC quoted “informed sources” as saying the shipments were flown on planes belonging to unidentified organizations operating in the humanitarian field in Darfur.

“Khartoum cannot handle the situation in Darfur, so they have to find a scapegoat,” Ahferom said.

“Darfur is very far away from Eritrea. Of course we sympathise with the Sudanese population suffering from its government’s oppression, but we don’t want to interfere in their affairs. What we want are peaceful neighbours,” he stressed.

Sudan and Eritrea have for years traded accusations of supporting one another’s rebel groups.

Their common border was closed in October 2002 after Khartoum accused Asmara of supporting Sudanese rebels near Kassala in eastern Sudan.