Military helicopter crashes in South Darfur

May 4, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – A Sudanese army helicopter crashed by an explosion following a technical failure in Nyala the capital of South Darfur state, a military statement said.

Alsoarmi Khaled Saad spokesperson of the Sudan Armed Forces in a statement to SUNA denied that the chopper had been subjected to any attack, adding the pilot, only person who was on board, has escaped unhurt.

The explosion was caused by technical problem as the helicopter was landing in Nyala, the army said without further detail on the incident or its mission in the restive region.

Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement accused the army of carrying daily aerial attacks on its position in the region but the army denied the accusation.

JEM has suspended its participation in the peace process held in Doha saying the Sudanese forces violated a framework agreement they signed last February in the Qatari capital.

In another development, the caretaker governor of North Darfur state imposed today curfew in El-Fasher from today Tuesday 4 May starting from 11:30pm till 03:00pm on Wednesday 5 May.

The curfew comes after protest in El-Fasher two days ago over money lost in a huge Ponzi scheme that collapsed last month. The state authorities said today the demonstration aimed to create anarchy in the state, press reports also accused Darfur groups of instigating this situation.

(ST)