Published:
Embassy of Sudan Responds to Attack on City of Omdurman
Embassy of Sudan Responds to Attack on City of Omdurman
WASHINGTON, May 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Heavy gunfire and artillery
rang through Omdurman as an anticipated attack by a rebel group came to pass
on Saturday. The Chadian JEM who've long been under the surveillance of the
Armed forces managed to reach the outskirts of the capital where they were
engaged in a decisive battle by the security forces who maintained full
control of the city. A nationwide alert, warning of the group's intention to
carry out a massive assault on the capital was issued, and the necessary
security measures were immediately taken once this threat was confirmed. The
chief of the operation and his deputy were among those the forces killed.
From their point of departure in Apache,Chad, mounted in heavily armed
vehicles, the rebels and the mercenaries approachedKhartoum through the
desert going northward where they encountered the national air force that left
them scattered after sustaining an intense aerial assault. This occurred where
no civilians were in sight, yet again the rebels were quick to resort to their
usual cry, claiming that innocent people have been targeted by the government
when in fact they were the ones who made the declaration that all the cities
were, in the words of their spokesmen, "legitimate targets", a clear signal
that there would be little regard for innocent civilians. In a strategy
reminiscent of the usual recourse in their terror campaigns inDarfur, the
group targeted humanitarian convoys as well as public facilities in an attempt
to leave a lasting impact.
It should be made clear that this act of aggression had the full support
ofChad's President who also happens to be tribally related to the leader of
the group, Khalil Ibrahim. The mercenaries were trained and prepared by the
Chadian Government; and this is an operation whichSudan holds that Government
fully responsible for. Effective immediately,Sudan has decided to sever all
diplomatic relations with the regime that has constantly supported the
campaign of terror against the innocent civilians. This is also the same group
that was implicated in the attack of the AU peacekeeping base in Haskanita
that killed seven Nigerian soldiers serving in the African Mission inDarfur,
an incident that barely gained international attention as tradition has
allowed the rebels to act with impunity.
This incident comes at the heels of theOslo talks where the Government of
Sudan met with several donor countries that pledged their full support to a
peace building process in the country including the swift resolution of the
conflict inDarfur. And its timing cannot be seen as anything else but the
blatant attempt to undermine the resolutions made at the consortium.Sudan
welcomes the U.S. and UN's condemnation and further calls on the international
community to holdChad and the rebels accountable for this reprehensible
incident.
Embassy of Sudan in Washington D.C.
Information Office
Phone: 202-338-8565
Fax: 202-667-2406
SOURCE Embassy of the Republic of theSudan
Copyright © 2008, PRNewswire
Copyright © 2008, NewsBlaze,
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