/ 19 July 2001

GADDAFI TO CREATE FUND FOR SOUTHERN SUDAN

LIBYAN leader Muammer Gadaffi announced on Wednesday his intention of creating a fund for the rehabilitation of southern Sudan, which has been torn by an 18-year civil war. During a meeting with Sudanese officials in Khartoum, Gaddafi pledged Libya would be the first contributor to the fund and said he would urge other African countries to contribute. Gaddafi told his Sudanese counterpart Omar el-Beshir that there was “a foreign conspiracy” aimed at continuing the civil war in south Sudan. The Libyan leader also criticised Khartoum for using “provocative” calls to Jihad (holy war) against the rebels and slammed the government’s attempts to impose Arabic language and Islam in the south by force. – AFP