An unprecedented Darfur rebel attack on Khartoum is a turning point that could persuade Sudan’s rulers to negotiate seriously with their foes or push Africa’s biggest country towards disintegration. Sudan-watchers believe the key is international involvement and say much more pressure is needed on both rebels and the government.
Darfur rebel leader Khalil Ibrahim said on Monday he would launch more attacks on Sudan’s capital Khartoum until the government fell. ”This is just the start of a process and the end is the termination of this regime,” said Ibrahim, whose Justice and Equality Movement attacked Khartoum at the weekend.
An overnight curfew has been imposed on Khartoum after Darfur rebels attacked a suburb of Sudan’s capital on Saturday, state television said. Heavy gunfire was heard in the west of Khartoum and helicopters and army vehicles headed towards the area, witnesses said. It is the closest the rebels have come to the centre of Khartoum.
Darfur rebels and Sudan’s army fought heavy battles in the North Kordofan province near Khartoum on Saturday, a local government official and witnesses said. The Darfur Justice and Equality Movement said it was strengthening its forces in Kordofan but not attacking government troops — to avoid causing civilian casualties.
Sudanese government bombs have hit a primary school and a busy market place in Darfur, killing at least 13 people, including seven children, two aid organisations said on Monday. The Sudanese army has repeatedly denied bombing in the area, which would be a violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution banning all offensive flying.
Darfur rebels accused the government on Tuesday of bombing areas under their control and said attacks this week showed Khartoum was not serious about seeking peace. But the army denied the accusations, which come during the visit of a Sudanese delegation to London to follow up on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s offer to host Darfur peace talks.
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/ 18 February 2008
Three elderly Darfuri men hack away at a pile of logs, struggling to build a new home in Kondobe more than a week after they fled their village to escape attacks and looting. They had hoped to return after the fighting subsided. But they can still hear shooting and could no longer suffer the cramped arrangements.
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/ 16 February 2008
The United Nations must deploy more troops quickly in west Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region, even without their full equipment, or risk losing Darfuris’ trust, a senior United Nations commander said on Saturday. The most important first step is to give displaced Darfuris confidence that the troops will protect them, said Balla Keita, the UN-African Union commander of West Darfur.
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/ 29 November 2007
A British teacher accused of insulting Muslims after her class called a teddy bear Mohammad spent more than five hours behind closed doors in a Khartoum courtroom on Thursday as a judge heard the case against her. She was arrested and charged after one of the school staff reported her to the authorities.
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/ 28 November 2007
A British teacher detained in Sudan after her class called a teddy bear Muhammad was charged on Wednesday with insulting Islam in a move that sparked a diplomatic row. Gillian Gibbons (54) was also charged with inciting hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs. If convicted, she could face 40 lashes, a fine or one year in jail.