News Article by AFP posted on March 11, 2003 at 10:46:12: EST (-5 GMT)
Sudanese official denies rebels downed helicopter, captured town
KHARTOUM, March 11 (AFP) -- A senior Sudanese regional government official denied a claim by rebels in west Sudan's Darfur region that they had shot down a military helicopter carrying him and other officials, a press report said Tuesday.
Reporting from Fashir, capital of North Darfur state, Akhbar Alyoum daily said state governor General Ibrahim Suleiman dismissed as baseless a claim by the rebel Darfur Liberation Front that its men had shot down the chopper in Jebel Marrah province last Thursday.
He admitted the helicopter had been forced down but blamed technical failure, adding that "nobody on board was harmed."
The incident happened while Suleiman, who heads the greater Darfur security committee, and armed forces chief of staff General Abbas Arabi were on an inspection tour of Jebel Marrah.
He said he and Arabi explained to "massive rallies" of the inhabitants of Gulu and other localities in Jebel Marrah the developments in the situation created by DLF "outlaws" hiding in the mountains.
Suleiman dismissed allegations by the rebels that they had seized a number of localities in Jebel Marrah, including the main town of Gulu.
He appealed to "the faithful sons of Darfur" to help current negotiations by tribal chiefs with the rebels to find a peaceful settlement to their grievances.
The Jebel Marrah is a range of mountains 120 kilometres (75 miles) long and up to 4,000 metres (13,000 feet) high straddling the three states of the Darfur region.
Darfur is one of the most arid and isolated regions in Sudan, Africa's largest country. The area has witnessed tribal clashes and bandit raids for many years, but no armed political faction had previously been reported there.
Khalil Ibrahim, chief of the opposition Sudanese Movement for Justice and Equality, said last week in an interview with the London-based Arab daily Al-Hayat that the rebels were not fighting for independence but only for a role in government and a share of resources.
Suleiman called Monday on Ibrahim, who is reportedly in Germany, to return to
take part in a dialogue with the authorities, Akhbar Alyoum
said.
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