KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Darfur rebels said they shot down an unmanned spy plane over the war-torn region on Thursday, saying the Sudanese government was using it to track their positions.
A spokesman for the Sudanese army said an unmanned planehad made an emergency landing in the area. "It could have beenshot down," he told Reuters.
The rebel Sudan Liberation Army's Unity faction said apatrol spotted a drone at about 5:40 p.m. (3:40 a.m. Britishtime) in the central mountainous Jabel Marra area and shot itdown with an anti-aircraft gun.
"It is the first time we have seen this in Darfur," saidSherif Harir from the rebel Sudan Liberation Army's Unityfaction (SLA-Unity). "Our men told us they had shot it down andwere sitting on the wreckage."
Harir said the fighters saw Chinese writing on the body ofthe aircraft. "It is Chinese made. The government want to spyout our positions."
State media last year announced Sudan had developedunmanned surveillance planes, was producing missiles and wasself sufficient in conventional weapons. At the time manyanalysts doubted the rare public announcement from themilitary, dismissing it as propaganda.
All "belligerent parties" in the five-year Darfur conflict,including Khartoum and rebel groups, are under a United Nationsarms embargo. But rights groups have regularly accused China ofarming Sudanese troops.
Mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in Darfur in 2003,accusing central government of neglect. International expertsestimate some 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million beendriven from their homes. Khartoum mobilised mostly Arab militiato quell the revolt.
(Reporting by Khaled Abdelaziz and Andrew Heavens; Editingby Charles Dick)