Sudanese government says businessmen killed by rebels

The Sudanese government has accused southern Sudanese rebels of killing 34 businessmen from the north last week in the "Upper Nile" province, 430 km south of Khartoum. The Sudanese daily Alwan quoted an official in the province as saying it "is the worst carnage since 1983."

The Sudanese official stated that the rebels, led by John Garang, committed the killings during an attack they launched last week against an area that falls under the control of the government, south of al-Rank city.