Rebel groups said the Sudanese Air Force has launched what they termed
heavy air strikes on civilian targets in the Barka Valley. They said the air
bombings began on June 23 and resulted in a large number of civilian
casualties near the border with Eritrea.
The air strikes came in response to a rebel drive south of Port Sudan.
The rebel groups have reported significant advances in the Red Sea state.
For its part, Khartoum has denied bombing the Red Sea state, Middle East Newsline reported. At the same
time, Sudan has accused Eritrea of helping the rebels.
"The government is committed to protecting property and lives of
citizens in the event that rebels threaten security and stability,"
Information Minister Abdul Basit Sebdarat said.
The fighters were said to belong to the so-called Eastern Front, a
coalition of rebel groups formed in February 2005. The groups, at least one
of which fought in Darfour, said the Khartoum government has ignored eastern
Sudan.
Rebels said their offensive began near Tokar on June 19. They said
fighters from the Eastern Front's two leading groups, Beja Congress and Free
Lions, routed government forces and took prisoners.
The reported air strikes took place during the visit to the United
States by Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail. On June 23, Ismail met
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick and a State Department
statement said the two men discussed the rebellion in the east.
"We are concerned about it," State Department deputy spokesman Adam
Ereli said on June 24. "We are working to do what we can to stop it. But I
don't have that 100 percent visibility on that particular report."
