71.   Eritrea, which has given shelter to Sudanese opposition factions, has denied official involvement in the Sudan conflict.

72.   The opposition factions were later routed from the capital, although skirmishes continued in other parts of the country.

73.   The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday released five more members of an opposition faction after questioning them about an attack on Israeli soldiers, the group said.

74.   The PLO chief quietly replaced Shawa by his cousin, Oun Shawa, but opposition factions now refuse to join in.

75.   The organisation broke up into two opposition factions at the start of the year which have been fighting ever since.

76.   The SPLA forms the backbone of the offensive in which all key opposition factions are taking part, Garang said.

77.   Iraqi President Saddam Hussein announced on Tuesday the lifting of the economic embargo imposed on the Kurdish north by his government and offered an amnesty to opposition Kurdish factions.

78.   Members of other opposition factions also were present and had the same message not to attack the self-rule agreement with Israel.

79.   Mirghani said all opposition factions were in constant consultation and mentioned specifically cooperation with Mahdi, a former prime minister who fled Khartoum in December for Eritrea.

80.   Opposition Afghan factions were not invited.