What next after rebel attack on Sudan’s capital?
Posted 11th May 2008 May 11 (Reuters) – Below are answers to some key questions about the Darfur rebel attack on Sudan’s capital. WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE GROUND? The sound of gunfire continues on the western edge of the suburb of Omdurman, across the River Nile from Khartoum. There have been reports that the Justice and Equality Movement rebels are sending reinforcements to back up a first assault that was repelled by government troops, but sustaining a fighting force over 600 km (400 miles) from rear bases is likely to prove difficult over time. President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s government has extended a curfew indefinitely, saying it wants to track down pockets of rebels in the city. HOW SIGNIFICANT IS IT? Regardless of whether the rebels succeed in overthrowing the government, the psychological importance of the attack is huge. Khartoum has been able to live isolated from violence for decades while the Arab-dominated central government’s forces have battled rebels from the regions o
