Sudan arrests opposition leader
12/05/2008 08:09  - (SA)  

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Khartoum - Sudan arrested Islamist opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi and at least four top members of his party on Monday after the Khartoum attack by Darfur rebels historically linked to him, aides said.

The attack at the weekend was the first time fighting had reached the capital in decades of conflict between the traditionally Arab-dominated central government of Africa's biggest country and rebels from far-flung regions.

Leaders of the Darfur rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), which mounted the attack, were supporters of Turabi in the past but he denies any backing for JEM.

Turabi's son said security forces arrested his father at his home about one hour after returning from a conference of his Popular Congress Party in nearby Sennar state.

"They want to blame the party for what has happened," said Siddig al-Turabi. No immediate comment was available from President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's government.

Turabi was Bashir's ideologue until they split in a power struggle in 1999-2000 in the oil-producing nation. Since then he has been in and out of jail but was released along with all other political prisoners after a 2005 north-south peace deal.

Diplomatic relations with Chad cut

On Sunday, Sudan cut diplomatic relations with neighbouring Chad, saying the attack by the rebels from the western Darfur region had been supported by Chadian President Idriss Deby.

The rebels made a lightning advance across 600km of desert and scrub to attack Khartoum's western Omdurman suburb on Saturday in what one of their leaders called a bid for power. Officials said the last rebels fled on Sunday evening.

About 65 people were believed to have been killed.

In a television broadcast, Bashir accused JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim, who is from the same tribe as Deby, of being behind the attack.

Chad has denied involvement, but analysts say it may have backed the JEM rebels to retaliate for an attack on the Chadian capital three months ago.

Rebels in Sudan have for decades complained of neglect by the central government.

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