Sudanese PLA announces killing of 405 soldiers

Soldiers of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army said that some 405 Sudanese government soldiers were killed at the end of last week in eastern Sudan.

Earlier on Monday, the SPLA, which is led by Col. John Garang, said that 83 soldiers were killed and another 200 wounded in battles that took place on Friday and Saturday in the areas of Olo and the Blue Nile province near the borders with Ethiopia.

Meanwhile, Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has expected in a statement to the Ethiopian state-run daily Afoyta "sure cooperation" in the future between Ethiopia and Sudan. He added that, "Ethiopia and Sudan are the cornerstone to establishing peace and development in the African Horn."

The Sudanese president added, "There was misunderstanding between us in the past, but our relations and meetings have not stopped yet."