SUDAN: Minister admits to loss of Raga

Minister of External relations Mustafa Usman Isma'il on Wednesday admitted that the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) had captured the towns of Raga and Deim Zubier in Western Bahr al-Ghazal, southern Sudan, the 'Khartoum Monitor' newspaper reported on Thursday. SPLA spokesman Yasr Arman said the rebel movement had captured all of western bah al-Ghazal, opening up a lucrative trade corridor to the neighbouring Central African Republic and also offering access to Darfur regions in western Sudan, where people have their own grievances with the government in Khartoum, the BBC reported.