Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has urged his people to be ready to take up arms and defend Sudan against an alleged Egyptian-led conspiracy to overthrow his government.
More than 300,000 Sudanese, whose country is widely shunned internationally, flocked to a rally on Friday marking the sixth anniversary of Bashir's seizure of power in a coup and the establishment of an Islamic government."Be ready to defend your land and your honor," Bashir, clad in military fatigues, told the emotionally charged crowd.
"We will provide arms to every fighter, and we will train every fighter," the army general said.
Bashir said his enemies were meeting in Cairo and inciting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who was the target of an assassination attempt in Ethiopia earlier this week, to invade Sudan.
"Today Sudan is targeted by a great conspiracy led by Hosni Mu-barak to destroy the revolution of national salvation, but we tell them that all the threats will not succeed and all the provocations will not prevent us from raising the banner of God," Bashir said.
"We are fully aware that they are targeting us because we in Sudan have decided to live free (of Western domination) and not to kneel down or bow except to God."
In a reference to a border dispute with Egypt over the Halaib triangle, he said: "We have decided to defend our country. We will not give up one inch."
Sudan's embassy in Cairo said a Sudanese army officer had been killed in a second clash between Egyptian and Sudanese troops on the border this week. It repeated charges that Cairo was building up its forces in Halaib.
Egyptian military sources denied both claims.
Egyptian and Sudanese troops have clashed on the border this week after Mubarak linked Sudan to the attempt to kill him in Addis Ababa on Monday.
Sudan says it had nothing to do with the attack and that Mubarak is just trying to divert attention from his internal problems with Moslem militants fighting his government.
Those attending Bashir's rally thronged to Hajj Yousef, 38 km (24 miles) east of Khartoum, from across Sudan to take part in the national festival.
Islamic militant fervor was widely in evidence. Many in the crowd held Islam's holy book, the Koran.