Sudanese president: Israel is bribing rebels in Darfur

Several days after Darfur rebels attack city neighboring capital, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir accuses group leader of taking bribe from Israel to overthrow government

Associated Press
Published: 05.14.08, 17:54 / Israel News

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir ruled out on Wednesday the possibility of holding peace talks with the head of the Darfur rebel group that staged a daring assault close to the capital that killed more than 200 people last weekend.

The UN and African Union have tried for months to open new peace talks between Sudan and Darfur rebel groups after a previous peace agreement failed to stem the violence. But most rebel chiefs, including Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) leader Khalil Ibrahim, have boycotted the initiative and security has further deteriorated.

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JEM stunned the Sudanese government with Saturday's attack on the city of Omdurman, located next to the capital Khartoum. Ibrahim is still believed to be hiding there, and told AP by telephone Monday that his fighters would keep up their offensive.

They accused the Khartoum regime of stonewalling the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force that would try to establish security before peace talks. At a rally orchestrated by the government Wednesday in Khartoum, al-Bashir called Ibrahim "an agent...Who sold himself to the devil and to Zionism.”

"We are for peace and a peaceful solution, but there is no room for Khalil or agents like Khalil, who sold his cause, his people, his tribe and his region," Al-Bashir told thousands of supporters waving flags and chanting pro-government slogans. He also accused Ibrahim of receiving money from Israel to topple Sudan's government.

Sudan's government has said that the surprise assault claimed the lives of more than 200 people. Al-Bashir accused neighboring Chad of supporting the Darfur rebels, and immediately cut ties with the country. “Do they think Khartoum is like N'Djamena?" Bashir asked the cheering crowd Wednesday, referring to Chad's capital city.

The instability in Sudan's western Darfur region has spilled over into Chad, with armed groups and refugees crossing the remote border on a regular basis and destabilizing both countries and straining relations.

The Darfur conflict began in 2003 when ethnic Africans took up arms against the Arab government to protest discrimination. More than 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been chased from their homes since then.

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