Sudan on Sunday said that leaders of a rebel group in its western Darfur region were making regular visits to Israel and ties with the Jewish state had caused a split in rebel ranks. A rebel spokesman denied any link with Israel and said that the charge was an attempt to stir up Muslim public opinion. An Israeli government source told Reuters that the Sudanese statement was absurd. Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail told reporters in Cairo that some leaders of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) had split from the group two days ago over ties between its leadership and Israel.
| That makes sense. Not a lot of sense, but sense... Of a sort... |
The Islamic government in Khartoum has said that 210 JEM rebels surrendered their arms in the Chadian-Sudanese border town of Tine on Friday, a report JEM denied. Ismail said those who had broken away from the group, "confirmed the leadership of the movement make regular visits to Israel".
| You knew they'd work a zionist plot in somehow. |
| The Rubes buy it every time, too... |
JEM, one of two Darfur rebel groups, denied the accusation and said that none of its leaders had split from the group. Meanwhile, Sudan sought Arab help on Sunday to head off possible sanctions threatened by the United Nations if Khartoum fails to rein in marauding militiamen, accused of genocide and ethnic cleansing in western Darfur region. The Sudanese foreign minister said Khartoum was seeking political support from Arab ministers "which will lead to the halting of any attempts to target Sudan or issuing of sanctions against it".
| Which is why the Israel story popped up now. |
Jan Pronk, the UN secretary- general's special representative to Sudan, told reporters in Cairo that he hoped the Arab League meeting would provide political support for the plan's implementation. The African Union said on Sunday Khartoum and the two rebel groups, JEM and the Sudan Liberation Army, had agreed to peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria on Aug. 23. But the JEM Secretary-General told Reuters that neither the JEM nor the SLA had been told of the date and rebel leaders were due at a conference in Germany on August 23. |