Sudan urges Chad to stop support for Darfur rebels

Sudan on Wednesday asked Chad to stop support for rebel forces of the National Redemption Front ( NRF) in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.

"We ask Chad to stop its support for the NRF, which carries out terrorist operations in Darfur and threatens the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA)," Sudanese Presidential Adviser Majzoub al-Khalifa told reporters.

Al-Khalifa denied Chadian accusation that Khartoum provides assistances for Chadian rebels, saying that "the Sudanese territories are not used for launching offensives against neighboring Chad."

He reiterated the Sudanese government's support for stability and security in Chad and its keenness to implement the Tripoli Agreement signed by the Sudanese and Chadian governments during a mini African summit in the Libyan capital in February, which stipulates deployment of Sudanese-Chadian joint forces on the borders to prevent any security incidents.

The Sudanese government signed the DPA in the Nigerian capital Abuja on May 5 with a main Darfur rebel faction.

Other several rebel groups, including the powerful Justice and Equality Movement, refused to sign the DPA and formed the NRF in August to mount pressure on the government to get more compromises.

Recently, Khartoum and N'Djamena have accused each other of providing support for rebels in the other country.

Last Saturday, the Chadian government claimed that Sudan's air forces bombarded four Chadian villages in the border area, destroying homes and causing panic among residents.

Khartoum has denied any involvement of its war planes in clashes inside the Chadian territories, saying that N'Djamena made the accusation only to cover its support for rebels in Darfur.

Source: Xinhua