Government denies use of ballistic missiles

Sudanese diplomatic officials in Britain have denied reports that the Sudanese army has used ballistic missiles in the war against southern Sudanese rebels, the official Sudanese News Agency (SUNA) reported on Thursday. A statement from the Sudanese embassy in London denied allegations made in a British television programme on 23 August that the government was using such weapons, and said the programme was “full of rhetoric, but lacked accurate information and evidence”, according to SUNA. The statement claimed that pressure groups hostile to Sudan had made the allegations to hamper the official British role for boosting efforts to find a solution to the conflict in Sudan. The UK-based ‘Guardian’ newspaper reported on 14 August that it had video footage of a missile being fired from a truck near the Ingessana Hills [Blue Nile state, eastern Sudan] during a government offensive. The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) has also claimed that government forces have used surface-to-surface missiles before trying to advance on Kurmuk town, near the Ethiopian border. ‘The Guardian’ newspaper quoted a western analyst as saying that aid operations around the oilfields could be put at risk. “The effect of a missile like this falling on a town would be to clear all aid missions out,” the analyst added.