Sudan gave weapons, ammunition and other assistance to the former Libyan rebels who overthrew Muammar Gaddafi, a response to the slain leader’s support for Sudan’s own insurgencies, saod President Omar al-Bashir.
Sudan has accused Gaddafi — who was killed outside his hometown Sirte this month — of supporting rebellions in its western Darfur region and in South Sudan, which declared independence in July.
Officials are now hoping for better relations with Libya, which shares a desert border with Sudan. Several Sudanese officials, including the foreign minister, have visited Libya since the new rulers captured the capital Tripoli in August, Reuters reports.
“You all know the role Libya played in destabilising Sudan and Sudan’s security,” Bashir told an audience in the eastern city of Kassala.
“Your support, whether it was humanitarian support, or weapons or ammunition, reached Libyan revolutionaries in Misrata, in the Western Mountains, in Benghazi, in Kufra,” Bashir said.
“The forces that entered Tripoli, part of their armament and their capabilities is 100 percent Sudanese.” He did not give details about what weapons were provided or how many.
Sudan’s military is battling armed revolts near the border with South Sudan and in Darfur. But Gaddafi’s fall provided the government a boost by depriving Darfur rebels of a safe haven.
The region’s most powerful rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement, said in September its leader had returned to the strife-torn region after taking refuge in Libya.
Darfur’s rebels took up arms against Khartoum in 2003, saying they had been politically and economically marginalised. Some 300,000 people have died in the conflict, according to the United Nations.
