Sudan denies providing rockets to Hamas

July 21, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) Monday denied press reports claiming that the Sudanese army provides Palestinian fighters of Hamas movement with long range missiles used to shell the Jewish state.

Following an explosion occurred on Friday 19 July in a weapons depot in a military training camp outside the capital Khartoum, the Sudanese army denied that Israeli warplanes bombed the military facility, saying the incident was caused by a fire.

However, on Monday Israeli newspapers echoed reports saying the Israeli aircrafts bombed the Sudanese military site arguing that it held long range missiles for Hamas.

“Colonel Alswarmi Khaled stated that accusations that Sudan provides armed groups in Palestine with weapons are unfounded,” said a statement released by the Sudanese defence ministry on Monday.

The military spokesperson further asserted that the fire that occurred in the warehouse of weapons should not be linked to any “foreign circle or link it to rockets provided to Hamas”.

“All these are lies not supported by evidence,” said the short statement.

Last Friday the army said the explosion of a rocket projectile which took place in a training camp in Al-Jailly area north of Khartoum injured six people.

In October 2012, Sudanese government blamed an Israeli airstrike for the explosion of a military factory in the southern suburbs of Khartoum, but Tel Aviv maintained the usual silence in response to the charge.

(ST)