The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Khartoum

Sudan cut diplomatic relations with Chad on Sunday after an attack on the Sudanese capital by Darfur rebels which it said was supported by Chadian President Idriss Deby.

The rebels fought Sudanese troops in a suburb of Khartoum on Saturday in a bid to seize power but officials said the attack was defeated.

Sudanese authorities extended a curfew indefinitely on Sunday and said troops were still hunting down rebels who were wandering the streets.

"These forces are all basically Chadian forces supported and prepared by Chad and they moved from Chad under the leadership of Khalil Ibrahim," President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said on state television.

Ibrahim is the leader of the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) which attacked Khartoum state's suburb Omdurman after a lightning move through the country from the Chadian border.