Sudan says rebels spread fighting to the East
KHARTOUM, July 31 (Reuters) – Western rebels in Sudan have spread fighting to the east of Africa’s largest country after joining forces with another rebel group, Sudan’s foreign minister said in Khartoum Saturday.
The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), one of two main rebel groups fighting Khartoum in the western Darfur region, made an alliance with an eastern rebel group at an opposition conference in Eritrea two weeks ago.
“We have intelligence reports that they (JEM and the eastern group) have already started these (military) activities with the help of the Eritrean government,” Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail told reporters in Khartoum.
He said Sudan had informed the United Nations of the developments in the east. There was no independent verification of fighting in the east or immediate comment from rebels.
The eastern rebel group, called the Sudanese Free Lions Association, is made up of Beja tribesman who share many of the same grievances of western rebels, accusing Khartoum of neglecting the impoverished area.
The group fought against the government during the 21-year war with southern rebels but had largely ended its military activities as part of peace accords between Khartoum, southern rebels and their allied forces.
In western Sudan, Darfur rebels launched a revolt in February 2003 after long conflict between Arab nomads and non-Arab farmers. Arab Janjaweed militias which Washington says are backed by Khartoum, went on the rampage, driving villagers into camps.
The United Nations estimates the conflict has killed at least 30,000 people and displaced more than a million in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Sudan has poor relations with its neighbor Eritrea and has accused it of backing Sudanese rebel groups. Sudan’s umbrella opposition group the National Democratic Alliance is based in Asmara where western and eastern rebels met this month.
Ismail said Sudan had informed the United Nations of the continuing developments in the east of the country.
The government rejected a U.N. Security Council resolution passed Friday threatening to impose sanctions on Khartoum in 30 days if it does not prosecute and disarm militias in Darfur.
“We should be given time to implement what we have agreed to with (U.N. Secretary-General) Kofi Annan,” Ismail said on Saturday, referring to the resolution.