Eritrea refutes backing plot against Sudanese government

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Sep 9, 2004 (AP) — The Eritrean government Thursday refuted an accusation that it had backed a foiled plot against the Sudan government.

“These are utterly false and fabricated accusations,” Amdeab Ghebremeskel, a Foreign Affairs Ministry official, told The Associated Press from Eritrea’s capital, Asmara, in a telephone interview.

“We don’t know why they’re doing that. They tend to fabricate things and allege it is Eritrea” that is responsible, he added.

Sudan ‘s security authority had issued a statement Wednesday saying it had arrested a number of members of the opposition party led by the president’s former mentor, Hassan Turabi, and accused them of preparing a “sabotage plot.”

Gen. Mohamed Atta, deputy chief of Sudan’s Security and Intelligence Bureau, later accused Eritrea of providing arms to carry out the group’s plans.