Sudan rebels claim major gains in new fighting
Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Wednesday, June 6, 2001
CAIRO — Rebel forces in southern Sudan have claimed major gains in
fresh battles with government troops.
The battles between the Sudanese People's Liberation Army and troops
loyal to the regime in Khartoum were said to have erupted on Sunday. SPLA
forces were said to have launched an attack on a Sudanese military outpost
in the province of Bahr Ghazal.
An SPLA spokesman told the London-based British Broadcasting Corp. that
about 800 government troops have been killed or captured by his group. The
spokesman said the battle continued into late Monday.
The Sudanese government has not responded to the SPLA assertion. But
officials have acknowledged SPLA gains amid heavy fighting in the province
over the last two weeks.
The latest SPLA report comes after the opposition and the regime in
Khartoum failed to reach agreement on a ceasefire in the southern and
eastern regions of Sudan. African leaders tried and failed to arrange a
reconciliation meeting in Nairobi over the weekend between Sudanese
President Omar Bashir and SPLA chief John Garang.
Garang rejected a ceasefire announced by Khartoum and said his troops
would continue to fight until the rights of non-Muslims in Sudan are
guaranteed and oil exploration in the south ends. Sudan's oil exports are
said to be financing the war in the south.
Wednesday, June 6, 2001
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