Sudan Army Takes Rebel Headquarters After 5-Month Drive
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KHARTOUM, Sudan — The army has overrun the headquarters of the rebel force it has been battling for nine years, in a major victory that capped a five-month offensive in southern Sudan.
Sudan’s military ruler, Lt. Gen. Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir, announced the fall of the town of Torit on national radio Tuesday. The rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army confirmed the claim in a statement in Nairobi, Kenya.
It was not clear whether the victory Monday could lead to an end of the Sudanese civil war. Hundreds of thousands of people have died as a result of the fighting since 1983. Most of the victims died in famine caused by the turmoil.
The recent escalation in the fighting has sent about 500 refugees streaming to the north each day.
Southerners, mainly Christians and animists of African descent, want the Muslim Arab majority government in Khartoum to abrogate strict Islamic laws. The rebels also are demanding an abrogation of military agreements with foreign countries.
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