This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-16328441
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 2 | Version 3 |
---|---|
Sudan Darfur rebel Khalil Ibrahim 'killed by army' | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The Sudanese army says it has killed the leader of Darfur's main rebel group, Khalil Ibrahim of the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem). | |
The report of his death, in fighting in the Wad Banda area of North Kordofan, could not be independently verified. | |
Mr Ibrahim had returned from exile in Libya after the fall of Col Muammar Gaddafi's regime this year. | |
If confirmed, his death would be a major blow to the Jem, which was behind several high-profile attacks. | |
Sudanese army spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Sad told the BBC Arabic Service that Mr Ibrahim had been killed at dawn on Sunday . | |
He and other rebel leaders had been trying to enter South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in July, the spokesman told Sudanese TV. | |
There was no immediate comment on the news from the Jem but a source close to the rebels told AFP news agency: "I'm pretty sure it's true." | |
Khartoum accused Jem of fighting for the late Libyan leader in his attempt to hold on to power. | |
Gaddafi's fall in Tripoli was a blow to the rebels as he had given them sanctuary and financial and military aid, analysts say. | |
Mr Ibrahim founded the Jem and made it the most powerful and most heavily armed rebel group in Darfur. | |
Attacks launched by the group include one on the capital, Khartoum in 2008. | |
More than 220 people were killed when the rebels drove across the desert to Omdurman, just across the River Nile from the presidential palace. | |
Government troops repulsed them after heavy fighting. | |
Just on Saturday, the Jem said they were planning a new advance on Khartoum. | |
The rebels signed a ceasefire with the Sudanese government in February 2010 but abandoned peace talks soon after, accusing Khartoum's forces of launching new raids in Darfur. | The rebels signed a ceasefire with the Sudanese government in February 2010 but abandoned peace talks soon after, accusing Khartoum's forces of launching new raids in Darfur. |
About 300,000 people have died in the conflict in Darfur since it began in 2003, the UN says. |