Darfur rebel group attacks Sudanese Capital

Over the weekend, Darfurian rebel group JEM (Justice and Equality Movement) launched a bold attack on the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, more than 400 miles away from Darfur itself--getting as far as the suburb of Omdurman.

The Government of Sudan has responded by severing diplomatic relations with Chad, claiming their sponsorship of JEM as a primary factor behind the attack and has jailed noted opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi under suspicion of being linked to the rebels. Regular readers of this blog will remember our coverage of ENOUGH's recent policy paper on the tensions along the Chad-Sudan border and its implications for rebel movements both in Darfur and in Eastern Chad.

JEM's Deputy Chief of Staff, Suleiman Sandal, claims that he is still within Omdurman and has claimed attacks on the capital city will continue:

"Now I am in Omdurman. We finished our target and just now I have troops there in Omdurman, divisions and so forth. I am re-arranging my troops and gathering them.

After that, if the government does not solve our problems--does not give our rights--we will arrange ourselves to attack Khartoum so as to attack the republican palace.

We will no longer fight in Darfur and the desert, we will fight in Khartoum."

This is the first time in decades that warfare within Sudan has had an effect on life within the capital, as locals report thousands of troops and heavy weaponry being deployed within the city as the government attempts to track down remaining JEM soldiers.

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~ Ben Drexler, Information Technology Associate