Sudanese rebels 'reach Khartoum'

Sudanese rebels 'reach Khartoum' (BBC)

Sudanese troops have clashed with rebels from Darfur outside the capital, Khartoum, reports say, prompting an overnight curfew in the city.

Residents in Omdurman - just across the river Nile from Khartoum - said they heard heavy gunfire.

On Friday, Sudan's army said it was preparing for a possible attack on the capital after detecting a heavily-armed column of rebels advancing from Darfur.

Correspondents say this is the closest the rebels have ever been to Khartoum.

A curfew has been imposed from 1700 local time (1400 GMT) until 0600 on Sunday, security officials said.

Army vehicles and an attack helicopter were seen rushing towards the area of the fighting.

It was not clear if there were any casualties.

The rebels, from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), have been involved in raids on government forces in the area before.

The JEM is one of several rebel groups fighting the government in the western Darfur region since 2003 over alleged discrimination by the authorities in favour of Arabs.