New rebel units take up fighting in Sudan

CAIRO, Oct. 29, 2003 [MENL] — Sudan’s military has been besieged by a spate of attacks carried out by reactivated rebel units.

A coalition of rebel forces was said to have captured Sudanese military bases in eastern Sudan. Sudanese officials said the rebels received training and aid from neighboring Eritrea.

The reconstituted forces include insurgents from the Fatah movement, aligned with the Unied Democratic Party, led by Mohammed Othaman Al Mirghani. Fatah and government forces were said to have engaged in fierce battles in the Al Kash delta some 120 kilometers north of Kasala. The area comprised the main highway that connects Khartoum to Port Sudan.

The Fatah militia, not related to the Palestinian movement of the same name, was joined by the Bajah Cofnerence, another rebel group. Sudanese sources said a joint unit raided two military camps, identified as Maidam and Irbab.