Sudan cuts ties with Chad

The instability on Sudan's western border has already spilled over into neighboring Chad, where the flow of rebels and refugees -many of whom share the same tribal lineage -over the remote border has destabilized both countries and strained relations.

Sudanese Interior Minister Ibrahim Hamed warned villagers on the Sudan-Chad border to beware of possible retaliatory attacks, and U.N. officials said security teams in Darfur were closely monitoring developments.

Any further clashes along the frontier would have grave consequences for the already ravaged Darfur region.

"This (attack) was an adventure... It complicates the situation in Darfur, considering that the attack put civilians in danger. It may lead the government to stop negotiations" with the rebels, said Mudawi Ibrahim, a Sudanese human rights activist who works in Darfur.

The attack weakened the rebels, who lost many fighters, and could lead to increased government support for Chadian rebels, he said.

Ibrahim had to call off a trip to Darfur with U.N. and European diplomats because of the security situation. "It will be hugely negative for humanitarian work," he said.

The JEM has become one of the most effective rebel movements in Darfur, where ethnic Africans took up arms against the government in 2003 to protest discrimination. In the last year it has expanded its operations into the neighboring province of Kordofan, even attacking oil installations.

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El Deeb contributed from Cairo, Egypt.