Rebels deny military presence in Eritrea

The Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) on Tuesday denied accusations by the government that it was receiving military support from neighbouring Eritrea in the Kassala district of eastern Sudan. “We unequivocally deny allegations of such assistance, and of alleged SPLA military presence in Eritrea for such operations,” said Samson Kwaje. But the spokesperson admitted that it was “a well known fact” that the SPLA had maintained “a small office..in Asmara (Eritrean capital) as well as one in Cairo (Egypt) since 1996-97”. He said it was maintained in conjunction with the northern Sudanese opposition, the National Democratic Alliance. According to London-based Horn of Africa expert, Patrick Gilks, “Ethiopia has won the contest for getting closer to Sudan, by kicking out the Sudanese opposition, which Eritrea appears not to be prepared to do”. Since the Ethiopia-Eritrea war broke out in 1998, both countries made an effort to improve relations with neighbouring Sudan - which had seriously deteriorated in 1994 over accusations of Sudan’s regional Islamification policy and state-sponsored terrorism. Gilks told IRIN that Sudan was “probably not convinced of Eritrea’s goodwill”. But he said, recent accusations by the Sudan government of Eritrean troops assisting Sudan rebels was more likely to have arisen from “Eritrean troops trying to close off infiltration (by Ethiopian-supported Eritrean opposition groups) along the border” rather than active military assistance on Sudan territory.