Ten opposition members jailed in Sudan

A court in Khartoum sentenced ten Sudanese to prison terms ranging to 10 years under charges of attempting to topple the government.

The Sudanese news agency SUNA on Sunday reported that said that retired marine officer Khujli Mubarak Khujli and his brother, a police officer, were each sentenced to 10 year prison terms. Others were sentenced to five years. The ten persons were found guilty of being members of the opposition Democratic National Alliance, which has Asmara as a headquarters.

Members of the group were arrested in September 1997 and were accused of violating the constitution and carrying out assassinations. They were also accused of planning to plant explosives in major Sudanese cities and conspiring to carry out an armed rebellion with the support of the government of Eritrea.