Darfur rebels say moving towards Khartoum

KHARTOUM, Feb 25 (Reuters) – Rebels from western Sudan said on Wednesday they had opened a new front to show the government the remote area was not alone in its demands for equal treatment and a share in the oil exporter’s resources.

Two rebel groups launched a revolt in the western Darfur region a year ago, accusing Khartoum of neglecting the arid area and arming Arab militias to loot and burn African villages.

The United Nations warns of a humanitarian crisis with about a million Sudanese fleeing the fighting.

“This means we are fighting a guerrilla war against the government and we can strike them in many places,” said rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) leader Abdel Wahed Mohamed Ahmed al-Nur, adding the SLA also had troops in northern Sudan.

“Two days ago we attacked government forces in their camp about 100 kms (60 miles) north of El-Obeid,” he said, referring to the capital of Northern Kordofan state, which borders Darfur.

El-Obeid is less than 400 kms (250 miles) southeast of the capital, Khartoum.

“If there’s no peace in Darfur there’ll not be peace in any part of Sudan,” Nur told Reuters from the Darfur region.

He added the SLA had signed an agreement to launch joint operations with an eastern rebel group called the Beja Congress.

Sudan’s armed forces spokesman was unavailable for comment. Army sources have previously said they would not comment on the Darfur conflict to dampen media coverage of the troubles.

Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the other rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), said his movement had launched a failed offensive to take Southern Kordofan state 45 days ago.

“The government defeated us and arrested 161 of our men,” he told Reuters from his Paris base. “We kept this secret to protect the men in prison, but they killed four of them until now so we are announcing it.”