Sudanese military helicopter crashes

Two Sudanese army officers have died when their helicopter crashed during an emergency landing in the southern province of Wehda.

An army spokesman General Mohammad Beshir Suleiman said the accident was caused by a mechanical failure.

However, Sudan's main rebel group, the SPLA, said its forces had shot down the helicopter, some 800 km south of the capital, Khartoum.

The SPLA said recently it would step up its attacks in the oil-rich province of Wehda.

The rebels have been fighting since 1983 for increased autonomy for Christians and animists in southern Sudan, who feel dominated by the Muslims from the north of the country.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service