Accusations of rebel support

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Uthman Isma’il has alleged that Sudanese rebels were allied with Eritrea during the war against Ethiopia. In his interview with the Jordanian newspaper, ‘Al-Arab al-Yawm’, he claimed many Sudanese rebels had been detained by Ethiopia. Although Sudan was determined to maintain its cooperation with Eritrea, there was “intensive diplomacy with several Arab and African capitals in order to explain this situation”. Sudan would not be able to have “normal relations of cooperation at a time when the rebel movement gets all the support it needs from Eritrea”, he said. He claimed Eritrea had given Sudanese rebels arms, fuel and food, offices and a radio in the Eritrean capital, Asmara. If the current dialogue with Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki failed, Sudan would be “responsible for protecting its land, security and citizens”, the minister warned.