By IINA,
New York/Khartoum : The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Sudanese government forces and those of the rebel group Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) to end the fighting near Khartoum. The UN Chief’s appeal came in the midst of deterioration of situation in Sudan with launching of an attack on the Capital Khartoum by rebels from Darfur.
Expressing “grave concern” at the outbreak of the fighting as a result of the attacks by JEM forces against government forces, Ban “condemns strongly” the use of armed forces and military means by JEM for the achievement of political ends and called for an immediate cessation of fighting and a renewed commitment to a peaceful resolution of outstanding issues, his press office said in a statement.
The statement added that Ban expressed anxiety that the fighting would have on the overall situation in Sudan, as well as on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and Darfur Agreement, and at the possible effect on civilian lives and property if the fighting escalates, according to news agencies. Meanwhile, Sudan’s government said it has halted an attack on the country’s capital by hundreds of rebels from Darfur. The claim came after a curfew was clamped on Khartoum following clashes between government forces and fighters from JEM.
Sudan said it has cut off diplomatic relations with Chad, blaming it for helping rebels from Darfur to launch the attack. Both Chad and Jem rebels deny working together to launch the assault on the Khartoum suburb of Omdurman, which the rebels say they have taken control of. The government said the rebel advance, the closest they have come to Khartoum, had been defeated.
An overnight curfew imposed on Khartoum has been extended indefinitely. Sudanese President Gen. Omar Al Bashir made the announcement that his country was breaking off diplomatic ties with Chad on state television. “These forces (behind the Omdurman attack) are all basically Chadian forces supported and prepared by Chad and they moved from Chad under the leadership of (rebel chief) Khalil Ibrahim,” President Bashir said in his televised statement. Sudanese state TV said Ibrahim led yesterday’s assault on Omdurman, across the River Nile from Khartoum. The report, monitored by the AP agency, said he was now in hiding somewhere in the suburb.
Yesterday, rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) claimed to have taken the Wadi Saidna air force base about 16 km north of Khartoum, the suburb of Omdurman and to have entered the capital. There is now an uneasy calm in Khartoum, although there are reports that fighting is continuing in the west of the city, says the BBC’s Amber Henshaw in Khartoum. The curfew imposed in Khartoum overnight has been extended, at least for the rest of the day, a presidential adviser told the BBC. Schools in the capital are closed and residents are being warned not to leave their homes until they hear it is safe to do so.
A rebel commander, Sulieman Sandal, told the BBC that the attack sent out a clear message that while there was no security in Darfur, there was none in Khartoum either. Experts say Chad and Sudan are fighting a proxy war using each other’s rebels to achieve their military objectives. The Jem is one of several rebel groups fighting the government and pro-government Janjaweed militia in the western Darfur region since 2003 over alleged discrimination by the authorities in favor of Arabs. The rebels have been involved in raids on government forces in the area before.