Egypt leader denies Sudan claims of Darfur interference

By Mohamed Mahmoud

CAIRO (AA) - President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday denied recent allegations by his Sudanese counterpart that Egypt was supporting armed rebel groups in Sudan’s Darfur region.

Egypt “is not and will not” conspiring against Sudan, al-Sisi said, noting his country’s stated policy of non-interference in the domestic affairs of other countries.

“Egypt does not support any [rebel] movements, neither in Sudan nor in any other country,” he added.

Al-Sisi’s assertions came in the wake of Tuesday remarks by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in which he accused Egypt of arming and supporting rebel groups operating in Sudan’s volatile Darfur region.

According to al-Bashir, the Sudanese authorities had recently found Egyptian weapons in the possession of Darfurian rebels following clashes in eastern Darfur.

The Sudanese president went on to assert that Sudanese forces had recently intercepted two “rebel convoys” that had entered the country from Libya and South Sudan respectively.

“We intercepted them, destroying 59 military vehicles in the process,” al-Bashir said. “We were surprised to find Egyptian tanks and other armored vehicles in the rebels’ possession.”

Recent months have seen tensions mount between Cairo and Khartoum.

Last month, Sudan’s foreign minister accused Egypt’s UN representative of supporting calls to extend international sanctions on Khartoum -- claims denied by Cairo.

The accusation came shortly after Sudan’s defense minister accused the Egyptian army of “provoking” its Sudanese counterpart in the disputed Halaib Triangle region on the border between the two countries.

And in April, Egypt’s media heavily criticized al-Bashir for a visit he paid to Ethiopia, where a major hydro-electric dam is being built on the Nile -- a project Egypt fears will affect its historical access to Nile water.

Sudan’s western Darfur region has remained the scene of a bloody conflict between Khartoum and three separate rebel groups since 2003.

In May, Martin Kobler, the UN’s Libya envoy, said Darfurian rebel groups now enjoyed a presence in lawless Libya -- assertions the groups have vociferously denied.