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Sudan Darfur rebel Khalil Ibrahim 'killed by army' Sudan Darfur rebel Khalil Ibrahim killed
(about 14 hours 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). Darfur's main rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement, has confirmed that its leader has been killed, but said it happened in an air strike.
The report of his death, in fighting in the Wad Banda area of North Kordofan, could not be independently verified. Spokesman Gibril Adam Bilal said in a statement that Khalil Ibrahim and a guard died when missiles struck their camp at 03:00 on Thursday (00:00 GMT).
Mr Ibrahim had returned from exile in Libya after the fall of Col Muammar Gaddafi's regime this year. Mr Bilal said the missiles had been fired by a plane directed by a "spy".
If confirmed, his death would be a major blow to the Jem, which was behind several high-profile attacks. Earlier, Sudan's army said Mr Ibrahim had died during clashes in the Wad Banda area of North Kordofan on Sunday.
Sudanese army spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Sad told the BBC Arabic Service that Mr Ibrahim had been killed at dawn on Sunday . Spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Sad said he had been trying to cross into South Sudan, which gained independence from the north in July.
He and other rebel leaders had been trying to enter South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in July, the spokesman told Sudanese TV. "He was trying to sneak via North Darfur state and South Darfur state into South Sudan, but the armed forces prevented him from doing so by blocking all possible routes," Mr Sad told BBC Arabic.
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." But the Jem statement said Mr Ibrahim had died when missiles from an unidentified aircraft, "which were aimed with unusual accuracy for a fighter jet from the regime's army", struck his camp. It alleged that regional and international parties had colluded with officials in Khartoum.
Khartoum accused Jem of fighting for the late Libyan leader in his attempt to hold on to power. The movement also promised to remain true to Mr Ibrahim's programme "to change the regime by all means, including military".
Gaddafi's fall in Tripoli was a blow to the rebels as he had given them sanctuary and financial and military aid, analysts say. High-profile attacks
Mr Ibrahim founded the Jem and made it the most powerful and most heavily armed rebel group in Darfur.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. He returned to Darfur from Libya this year after the fall of Col Muammar Gaddafi, who gave him sanctuary as well as military and financial aid.
More than 220 people were killed when the rebels drove across the desert to Omdurman, just across the River Nile from the presidential palace. The Sudanese government has accused Jem members of fighting alongside Gaddafi supporters during the uprising in Libya.
Government troops repulsed them after heavy fighting. Attacks launched by the group include one on the capital, Khartoum, in 2008.
Just on Saturday, the Jem said they were planning a new advance on Khartoum. More than 220 people were killed when rebels drove across the desert to Omdurman, just across the River Nile from the presidential palace. Government troops eventually repulsed them after heavy fighting.
Just on Saturday, the Jem said they were planning a new advance.
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. Some 2.7 million people have fled their homes since the conflict began in the arid western region, and the UN says about 300,000 have died.