WASHINGTON Ñ Sudanese rebels are said to have acquired new heavy
weapons in their war against the Khartoum regime as they opened a new front
near the Eritrean border.
The weapons obtained by the Sudanese People's Liberation Army have
include T-55 tanks and mobile anti-aircraft guns. Western diplomatic sources
said this has resulted in rebel advances against government forces over the
last month.
The SPLA downed two Sudanese military helicopters during a four-day
period last week. The helicopters were providing air support for Sudanese
commandos who had tried to recapture the strategic town of Torit, lost to
the rebels in August.
In addition, the SPLA opened a second military front in the current
offensive against Sudanese government forces in the southeast near the
Eritrean border. Over the last two days, the SPLA said it captured three
positions from the Khartoum regime, including the town of Khasm Girba near
Kasala.
The SPLA said it would soon capture Kasala. Sudan's military has denied
any rebel gains.
Sudanese officials said Israel has provided some of the weapons and
training to the SPLA. Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Othman Ismail said
the help has included the supply of anti-tank missiles to the rebels via the
Israeli embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.
Last month, Ismail was said to have complained of the Israeli help to
the SPLA during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Later,
the Sudanese minister said it was the first such meeting at this level with
the United States in 15 years.
A recent study by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group
reported on SPLA procurement of improved weaponry. The report said the
procurement has resulted in a greater combat capability by the rebels.
"The SPLA also has acquired some heavier weapons, especially
anti-aircraft, a little better mobility, and more consistent resupply
capabilities -- relatively small enhancements individually that combined
have produced a big impact on the battlefield," the report said.
But the organization said the Khartoum regime, citing night-vision
systems and night-time air bombing, continues to maintain an edge in
military capability. The report said Sudan has ordered Western platforms to
improve the military's ability to fight in swamps that dot the war-torn
south.
"Superior mobility and logistics give government forces a counter to the
SPLA's manpower advantage," the report said. "This battlefield edge will be
heightened by the government's purchase from Australia of airboats designed
to travel in swamp environments and especially useful in the oilfield areas
of Upper Nile."
