Sudan hints at involvement of Libya & France in rebel attack on capital

May 13, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — A Sudanese official today accused foreign countries besides Chad of providing support to Darfur rebel assault on the capital.

The director of political affairs at the ruling National Congress Party Mandoor Al-Mahdi told the daily Al-Hayat newspaper that a “neighboring country” and a “Western intelligence agency” were involved in Saturday’s assault by Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

Al-Mahdi said the Western country provided JEM rebels with satellite tracking information on the movement of Sudanese troops.

“The planning for the attack wasn’t Darfurian but was made from outside Sudan” the NCP official said.

Sudanese were shocked by the rebel assault on the outskirts of Khartoum, hundreds of miles from their bases in the west. The raid was the closest that Darfur’s rebels have gotten to the seat of the government.

Some political analysts speaking to Sudan Tribune said that the Chadian government does not have the means to provide the amount of support that enabled them to reach the capital and suggested that Libya has something to do with it.

“The Libyans were slow in condemning the attack. Al-Bashir [Sudan president] exchanged calls with the Egyptians, Saudis and even the Jordanians and Syrians but not with Al-Gaddafi [Libyan president]. ” one analyst told Sudan Tribune on condition of anonymity.

“I find that very strange” he added.

Some reports have mentioned that Libya is not happy with Sudan’s support to rebel leader Mohamed Nouri, from the Qura’an tribe, opposed to Chadian president Idriss Deby.

Libya also played a key role to foil the February coup, believed to be backed by Sudan, against Deby.

Sudan’s hinting at France’s involvement marks further deterioration in relations between the two countries.

France has a long-term military presence in Chad, one of its former colonies, giving the government intelligence and logistic support.

Khartoum has been furious at France for hosting leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur and has persistently demanded that he be expelled.

Sudan summoned the French Ambassador to Sudan Christine Robichon last week and was asked to justify the decision of her government to extend Al-Nur’s stay.

Last March French President Nicolas Sarkozy condemned what he called the “deliberate and disproportionate” use of force by Sudan in the killing of a French soldier serving with European Union forces in Chad (EUFOR).

The defense ministry in Paris said the soldiers who strayed across the border encountered a Sudanese checkpoint and quickly declared their identity, but were fired on without warning.

The Sudanese government has strongly opposed the French backed initiative for deployment of the 3,700-strong EUFOR mission being deployed in eastern Chad to protect refugees displaced by violence in neighboring Sudan’s Darfur region.

(ST)