Darfur rebels visit US to urge action against Sudan: report

KHARTOUM, Sept 2 (AFP) — Representatives from rebel movements in the troubled western Darfur region are visiting the United States to press for tougher action against Sudan, a pro-government newspaper reported Thursday.

Al-Anbaa said the 10-member delegation arrived in Washington Tuesday on board an Israeli military aircraft with a political plan the rebels hope the US administration will impose on Khartoum.

The plan, drawn up in the Eritrean capital of Asmara with the help of Israeli officials, includes proposals by rebels for resolving the 18-month conflict in the Darfur region, according to the paper.

It added, quoting an unnamed source, that members of the rebel delegation were due to meet Thursday with officials from the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Sudan accuses both Israel and Eritrea of fuelling and supporting the rebel in Darfur, where the United Nations estimates that between 30,000 and 50,000 people have died, over a million displaced from their homes and a further 180,000 forced into refuge in neighboring Chad.

Israel and Eritrea deny involvement in the conflict.