Darfur rebels from the Justice and E quality Movement (J E M), including their leader Khalil Ibrahim, are reportedly hiding in the capital, Khartoum , after their attempt to seize the city over the weekend failed.  

The security forces are looking for Ibrahim, who was wounded in a battle on Saturday in Umm Durman, near Khartoum , Sudan TV reported. The Sudanese authorities announced Ibrahim escaped his vehicle after receiving a direct hit during the fighting. 

Sudanese President Gen. 'Umar Al-Bashir, in a televised speech, thanked the security forces for their success in stopping the J E M rebels. Al-Bashir blamed neighboring Chad for its support for J E M and announced he had decided to cut off his country's diplomatic ties with Chad .

Umm Durman is located to the west of the Nile River , adjacent to Khartoum , which lies to the east of the river. The Sudanese armed forces have closed all bridges connecting the two cities, therefore preventing the rebels from entering Khartoum .

"I don't think that any rational consideration of the balance of military power would lead to the conclusion that J E M had any hope whatsoever of capturing Khartoum," head of the Political Science Department in Khartoum University , Dr. 'Safwat Fanous, told The Media Line.

"They came with no more than 1,500 armed men, while there are up to 50,000 security forces in Khartoum . Probably the attempt was just to send a message that they can reach anywhere in Sudan , including the capital. They may have thought that this could push the government to make more concessions in the forthcoming negotiations," added Fanous. 

J E M leader Khalil Ibrahim, a member of Darfur's Zarawa tribe, enjoys the support of Chad, whose Prime Minister Idris Debby also belongs to the same tribe, Fanous said.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack and renewed his call for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, which began in 2003.

Relations between Sudan and Chad have increasingly deteriorated in the past few months. Sudanese President Al-Bashir has promised Sudan will respond to this latest attack, although experts believe war between the two countries is not necessarily close, because of political pressures from the U.S. , the U.N. and the African Union.

©2008. The Media Line Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
For information regarding terms of use, please contact editor@themedialine.org.  The Media Line Ltd., is a non-profit American news agency specializing in coverage of the Middle East . TML, which is not aligned with any affinity organization, government or political agenda, serves news organizations world-wide. Please visit our website: www.themedialine.org.