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Sudan denies supporting Libyan warring factions

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Sudan has denied supporting any of the warring militias in Libya after forces there seized a Sudanese airplane loaded with ammunition.

A statement Saturday from Libya’s government, recently empaneled by the country’s newly elected parliament, accused Sudan of supporting “terrorist groups” in Libya with weapons from the aircraft. They said the move “breached its national sovereignty.”

“We call on the Sudanese authorities to stop interfering in the political affairs of Libya and not to have bias toward any of the conflicting parties,” the statement published on the Cabinet’s official Facebook page said.

Alsawarmi Saad, a spokesman of the Sudanese armed forces, told local television channel al-Shorouk on Saturday night that the plane was meant to supply joint Libyan-Sudanese forces operating on the country’s shared border.

Libya is witnessing the worst bout of violence since its 2011 civil war saw longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi ousted and killed. Rival groups backed by heavily armed militias fight for political power.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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