Darfur rebels face terrorism charges for attack near Sudan's capital

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Nearly 40 Darfur rebels appeared Wednesday in three different Sudanese courts for their role in last month's attack near the capital. The prosecutors said the defendants conspired against the country's constitution, led war against the state and terrorized civilians. Lawyers say the rebels could face the death penalty if convicted. The men were arrested after the May 10 offensive near Khartoum. More than 200 people were killed before the rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement were repelled. Human rights groups said hundreds of people were arrested at checkpoints and in house-to-house searches following the attack on Omdurman, Khartoum's twin city. It was the closest Darfur rebels have ever come to Sudan's seat of government, hundreds of kilometers from their bases in the far west of the country.