KIGALI (Reuters) - Rwanda has asked a human rights researcher to leave the country, citing anomalies in her visa application, in a move the watchdog says is part of a crackdown on freedom of expression ahead of August's presidential election.

A Human Right Watch (HRW) statement on Saturday said Carina Tertsakian, its senior researcher in Rwanda, was told by immigration officials that she would not be granted a work visa.

"The immigration officials refused to put their decision in writing. They told Tertsakian that as a British national she could not exceed her 90-day legal stay in the country, which expires on April 24," the statement said.

"They alleged that there were anomalies in her visa application, specifically signatures and dates on the documents she had submitted."

Kigali's immigration department said the 90 days were for Tertsakian to address issues in her documents but they were now over.

"We were not satisfied by the explanations they gave us on the signatures. They claim that the signatures are genuine, much as we showed them the differences and they acknowledged them, so we asked her to leave," said Innocent Niyonsenga, a communications official at the immigration office.

HRW has been in Rwanda since before the 1994 genocide that killed 800,000 people.

In the last few weeks, the Rwandan government has said it was concerned about the work of rights organisations and senior officials have singled out HRW as being particularly insensitive about some of the factors that led to the genocide.

Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at HRW, told Reuters the refusal to grant a work permit was part of a crack down on freedom of expression ahead of the presidential election.

"In the last few weeks, we have seen repeated intimidation, harassment and obstruction of opposition parties, journalists and civil society in Rwanda.

"These developments take place against a backdrop of increasing intolerance of dissent and criticism in the run-up to presidential elections in August," she said.

"We are planning to appeal this decision and to continue with our work on human rights issues in Rwanda," Gagnon said.

HRW said Rwandan officials had not made any attempt to contact its headquarters or the individuals whose signatures they had queried.

Human rights groups have criticised Rwanda for planning the election without a meaningful opposition to President Paul Kagame's ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front. Emerging opposition groups say they face harassment, intimidation and legal and administrative barriers to registration .

NAIROBI (Reuters) - A majority of Kenyans would endorse a proposed new constitution in a referendum although most are unhappy about one thing or another in the draft charter, a poll published on Saturday showed.

Kenyans have been calling for a new constitution since the 1990s to replace one dating back to 1963. Guarantees of a new charter were central to a power-sharing deal in 2008 that ended weeks of violence that killed about 1,300 people after a disputed poll.

Parliament voted unanimously in favour of the draft this month but some legislators are now asking Kenyans to vote against it when it comes to the referendum to be held in late July or early August.

A total of 64 percent said they would vote Yes if a referendum on the constitution were held now and 17 percent said they were against it. The remainder were undecided, the survey by pollster Synovate said.

"Kenyans are very eager to have a new constitution," said George Waititu, Synovate's managing director. "It is one of the tools they are looking forward to, to have the country governed better."

The new legal framework would curtail sweeping presidential powers and strengthen civil liberties.

The poll showed 68 percent of potential voters were unsatisfied with at least one issue in the proposed charter.

"We are seeing a high degree of tolerance. 68 percent of potential voters have something they don't like but the majority are supporting the draft nevertheless," Waititu told reporters.

And 91 percent of the 2,003 Kenyans surveyed said it was absolutely or quite important that the country had a new constitution although 45 percent of them said they knew very little or nothing of what the draft contained.

A total of 37 percent said they had personally formed their own opinion of the new constitution; 21 percent said they had been influenced by politicians and 19 percent had been swayed by religious leaders.

Some politicians are backing a No vote, angry at the failure to devolve power to the regions and plans to cap private land holdings.

Some Christian church leaders are also spearheading a No campaign after an amendment to abolish abortion on medical grounds failed, while Islamic courts dealing with divorce and inheritance were left enshrined in the constitution.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sub-Saharan Africa is proving surprisingly resilient in emerging from the global financial crisis compared with previous downturns, the African Department Director at the International Monetary Fund said on Friday.

Just a year ago the IMF warned that Africa was to face major setbacks as the fallout spread from the global economic downturn. But the poorest countries of the region rebounded with greater strength and speed than predicted, Antoinette Sayeh told Reuters. Some economies avoided contraction all together in 2009.

Just last year, IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn described the region's economies as "an innocent victim of this global financial tsunami."

Economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to double this year and further accelerate in 2011 as long as the global economy continues to improve.

Regional output is projected to expand by 4.75 percent in 2010 compared with 2 percent last year, stronger than Latin America, and Middle East and North Africa regions.

Sub-Saharan Africa's growth could reach 5.75 percent next year if global conditions advance.

"We see positive developments across the region and certainly in the context of what we have seen in response to the crisis and efforts made to sustain economic growth," Sayeh said. "We have seen good progress in most sub-Saharan African countries; that is encouraging to potential investors."

The stronger macroeconomic position and the limited integration of many countries in the region into the world economy shielded them from the global recession.

"On average, Africa did better but there were groups of countries that were hit by the crisis -- those were the most advanced, and oil exporting countries. These countries are recovering fast," she added.

The 29 smaller and more fragile countries, with a combined population of 750 million, did better than expected, "which is encouraging because those are the ones can least afford not to grow and make progress."

Africa is becoming one of the main destinations for frontier market investors looking for high growth while assuming the risk of small and sometimes volatile economies.

Sayeh said the region avoided much of the downward pressure from the crisis because of counter-cyclical economic policies pursued in many countries.

"Nearly two-thirds of countries experiencing a slowdown in 2009 were able to increase government spending to buttress economic activity. Policy interest rates were also reduced in most countries," except where this would have been harmful because of exchange rate regimes or inflationary pressures.

Republic of Congo is expected to growth the fastest, at 12.1 percent this year, while Madagascar is the only country in the region to post a contraction, with output expected to decline 1 percent.

Economic growth in middle-income and oil-exporting countries was hurt by the sharp fall in export volumes and a slump in oil prices in early 2009 as world demand collapsed.

Sayeh said there is a need to address the problems in the financial sector, mentioning Nigeria's $4 billion bailout of nine weakly-capitalized financial institutions last year.

"There has been a big effort to restructure the banking sector, and the Fund has been very involved in supporting the good efforts on the part of the government to get the financial sector resolution underway," Sayeh said.

Nigeria, the second largest economy in the region, is in the process of passing the Asset Management Company legislation, which would soak up bad bank loans.

"We expect it to be put in place in May. There has been good progress starting to roll that out in May if possible," Sayeh said.

"Going forward, it will be critical that other development partners and international financial institutions continue to support sub-Saharan African countries during the recovery," Sayeh said.

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali has put its security forces on high alert after a French tourist and his Algerian driver were seized in neighbouring Niger.

A Nigerien military officer said he believed the hostages have already been moved to Mali, where an official warned of the challenges of tracking kidnappers in the vast West African desert region.

The kidnapping late on Wednesday occurred just days after Mali, Niger, Algeria and Mauritania set up a joint command post aimed at improving regional collaboration to counter a growing threat from al Qaeda in their shared Sahara zone.

"As soon as there is a kidnapping, everyone looks towards Mali, especially the north, which everyone says is the rear base for al Qaeda," a military source close to Mali's defence minister told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"That is why ... we have alerted our security forces on the border with Niger, in case, as usual, they try and cross the border to seek refuge in Niger. But the borders are very long and the kidnappers know the terrain, which is huge."

Nigerien and diplomatic sources said the pair were seized near Tiguidan Tessoun, which is in Niger's remote north and equidistant from the border with Mali and Algeria.

A Nigerien military officer, who asked not to be named, said Niamey believed the kidnappers had already crossed the border despite Mali's efforts to cut them off.

"We think they are somewhere in the Azaouagh strip," he said, referring to a valley in Mali's remote north.

The French Foreign Ministry said on Friday it was trying to verify the incident. A French police source said the kidnapped man was 78-years-old. No group has claimed responsibility.

An increase in kidnappings of foreigners in the desert region, where a combination of bandits, former rebels and smugglers have long operated has pointed to a growing influence of groups linked to al Qaeda.

Analysts say the kidnappings are often carried out by local gunmen, who then pass hostages on to members al Qaeda's North Africa wing, which is known as AQIM.

Six Europeans were kidnapped in the region late last year. Since then, four of the hostages have been released, while two Spaniards are still being held. Last May, AQIM killed a British hostage seized in a previous round of kidnappings.

The reported payment of ransoms for hostages and the release of arrested Islamist fighters has strained relations between the regional states at a time when Western governments are seeking greater regional cooperation to curb al Qaeda activities.

Mali, in particular, has been picked out by Algeria and Mauritania for failing to crack down on Islamists who have taken advantage of vast ungoverned zones and a long tradition of smuggling to operate out of its northern area.

ABIA, Nigeria, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The police in oil rich Nigeria's Abia State has confirmed the release of the two German nationals abducted by gunmen operating in the region.

State police spokesperson Ali Okechukwu confirmed this to Xinhua on Saturday night.

The two, both male, were kidnapped on Sunday as they were heading to their vehicle at the beach at Imo River of the state.

Okechukwu said the police was not directly involved in the rescue and he was not sure any ransom was paid.

Meanwhile, a German Embassy official in Abuja also confirmed the release but she did not provide more details.

The Niger Delta is an unstable area where inter-ethnic clashes are commonplace. Access to oil revenue is the main trigger for the violence.

Over 300 foreigners have been seized in the Niger Delta since 2006. Almost all have been released unharmed after paying a ransom.

CAIRO, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak pledged on Saturday fair upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in the country.

In his speech aired on Egypt's Nile News, Mubarak said "I reiterate my keenness for the integrity of the elections and welcome each honest effort that provides solutions for the problems of our society without gambling with its security, stability and future."

However, Mubarak did not mention whether he intends to run for next year's presidential elections or not.

The Egyptian president, who has been ruling Egypt since 1981, also referred to the active interaction of various powers in Egypt 's society, saying it is the fruit of his own initiative that was presented five years ago.

"It is the evidence of the vitality of Egyptians and a witness to the unprecedented freedom of opinion, expression and the press, " Mubarak said.

"I sincerely welcome such interaction as long as it abides by laws and the constitution and is intended to realize the interest of Egypt."

However, he warned against turning this "active interaction" into a conflict.

"This active interaction should not ever turn into confrontation or a conflict and we have to beware of such a turn," added the president.

The Egyptian parliamentary elections are due in October and the presidential elections are slated for September next year.

KHARTOUM, April 24 (Xinhua) -- 17 civilians were killed on Saturday and 11 others wounded in armed clashes between Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), the military arm of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), and Rizeigat tribe in South Darfur State in western Sudan.

"These confrontations, which took place today, came as a result of provocations by the SPLA, which infuriated members of the Rizeigat tribe at the area and pushed them to confront elements of the SPLA", Mohamed Iyssa Elaio, Chairman of Rizeigat tribe's Shura (consultation) council, told Xinhua.

The SPLA is the military wing of the former rebel SPLM, which became one of the ruling partners in Sudanese government following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005.

"The confrontations resulted in killing of around 17 civilians and injury of 11 others", Elaio added.

He said the incidents took place at Bulbula area, some 200 km south of Matariq town in the South Darfur State.

"This affirms that the SPLA is still present at areas within the borders of 1956 in northern Sudan", he said.

Elaio further said that the administrative leaders of Rizeigat tribe have informed the government more than once of the harassments by the SPLA against citizens of the area.

"The government, however, did not respond, which enraged the local citizens and pushed them to confront the SPLA, despite the fact that the citizens do not have enough weapons to face a fully equipped army," he added.

The SPLA has not yet commented on these incidents.

The South Darfur State is located on the north of the boundaries between northern and southern Sudan, and belongs to the Muslim-dominant northern Sudan.

The CPA, which had ended a two-decade civil war between northern and southern Sudan, stipulated a complete withdrawal of the SPLA from the north to the south behind the boundaries known as "the borders of 1956".

The SPLM says it has implemented that item of the agreement, but the border tribes insist that elements of the SPLM are still present inside the territories in northern Sudan.

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A rebel group has claimed responsibility for the killing of at least 18 government soldiers and injuring 20 others in a predawn attack in south Eritrea.

The attack took place early morning on Thursday in Kelay, said Yassin Mohammed, a spokesman of the Red Sea Affairs Democratic Organization (RSADO).

Yassin said a number of arms were seized during the unexpected assault, AFP reported.

In February, the same rebel group took responsibility for the killing of 17 soldiers in a joint attack with another militant group.

The Ethiopia-based group was formed in 1999 and is a member of the Eritrean Democratic Alliance.

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Five people have lost their lives in a fresh outbreak of violence in Nigeria after a protest staged by a group of Muslim youths turned to a scene of a confrontation with Christians.

Hundreds of protestors took to streets in the city of Jos, after the murder of a 17-year-old student sent shockwaves through the Muslim community in the religiously-divided Plateau State.

The protest went violent when young Christians and Muslims engaged in a knife fight, which left up to four people dead in the Dutse Uku and Miango districts.

The clashes reportedly ended with the intervention soldiers from the Special Task Force and some Muslim community leaders who rushed to the scene, urging the youths to stop the protest.

On Thursday, police unearthed eight bodies in a nearby Christian village to bring to 15 the number of bodies exhumed in three days in the area.

Plagued by frequent clashes, Plateau State is on the limit of Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north and the mainly Christian south.

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Sudanese President Umar Hassan al-Bashir is expected to win the presidential polls as his party makes gains in most of Darfur's region.

The election commission announced that Bashir's ruling National Congress Party had won governor posts in North and West Darfur with results from the south yet to be released.

Meanwhile, the ruling party in South Sudan has retained the governorship of the oil-producing Unity State, which is situated on the border between north and south Sudan and is capable of a rough output of 480,000 oil barrels per day.

In the same state, clashes between the supporters of an independent candidate and security forces have led to two deaths.

On Wednesday, the rival parties finally agreed to accept the results and accelerate the push for a conclusive peace agreement to put an end to the civil war between south and north.

The April 11th polls, described by the UN as one of the most complex elections ever held, were the country's first multi-party presidential, parliamentary and regional elections since 1986.

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Egypt has ridiculed the US and Israeli accusations that Syria is supplying Russian-made Scud missiles to the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah.

"These allegations are lies and are laughable," AFP quoted Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul-Gheit as saying on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters at the beginning of an official visit to Lebanon, he added "Egypt stands by Lebanon under all conditions and in the face of all threats."

Damascus, Beirut and the resistance movement itself have likewise rejected the claims. Standing by the allegation, however, Washington and Tel Aviv have issued warning messages against Damascus.

Earlier in the month, US State Department Spokesman PJ Crowley said, "If [Scuds have been transferred into Lebanon], and we continue to analyze this issue ... clearly it potentially puts Lebanon at significant risk."

Tel Aviv has also communicated a threatening message to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, alleging that Hezbollah may launch an attack on Israel using the projectiles. It said Israel would engage Syria in a war if such missile offensive materialized.

Hezbollah fought off bloody Israeli wars against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006. The second round of the offensives, known as the 33-Day War, killed about 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri has, meanwhile, likened the arms transfer claim to US allegations about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), which Washington used as a pretext to invade the country in 2003. The WMD claim was later found to have nothing to do with the facts on the ground.

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Joint Ethiopian-Somali government forces have recaptured a small western Somali town near the border with Ethiopia, forcing out al-Shabab fighters from the area.

Days after al-Shabab captured the town of El Barde, a report broadcast by Radio Garowe announced on Friday that Ethiopian troops in armored vehicles along with Somali forces crossed into the border town.

The report came as Somali officials also confirmed the presence of Ethiopian troops in the region.

"They entered El Barde to expel al-Shabab elements from the border region and stop their advance," a Somali official said on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, al-Shabab fighters are reported to have fled to neighboring Rabdhere town.

The border town of El Barde fell into the hands of al-Shabab on Tuesday after a fierce battle with Somali soldiers which claimed the lives of at least 10.

Somalia has been without a stable central government since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre fled the country in 1991. Subsequent fighting among rival faction leaders resulted in the killing, displacement, and starvation of millions of Somalis.

According to the United Nations, between 350,000 and 1,000,000 Somalis have died since the start of the conflict.

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Amid increasing pressure on Somali Parliament Speaker Sheikh Adan Madobe to resign, he defends his position saying he will not step down from his post.

"I will not relinquish my position, am holding this high office for the people of Somalia, so I will not act on some suggestions from lawmakers who are al-Shabab sympathizers," Radio Garowe quoted Madobe as saying on Friday.

The Somali official accused his adversaries of having hidden agendas, saying they wanted to lead the country down a path of destruction and utter militancy.

More than 300 Somali lawmakers have filed an impeachment motion against Madobe.

The lawmakers met President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed at the presidential palace, Villa Somalia, on Monday, asking him to intervene in the case and save his fragile government from collapse.

The lawmakers argue that Madobe's term expired in August 2009, stressing that they would only allow him to retain his position through elections.

The call for resignation comes as the Somali president is reported to support the country's current Finance Minister Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan to fill Madobe's position.

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Somalia's al-Shabab group, which has vowed to topple the UN-backed government, has seized three towns in the central Galgudud region from the pro-government Ahlu Sunna movement, witnesses said.

Al-Shabab took control of the towns of El Der, Masagaway and Galad towns on Friday reportedly without any resistance from the rival group.

The three towns lie on the road linking Mogadishu, the capital, and eastern Somalia, which is considered to be al-Shabab's power base.

"We have overrun the militants who tried to stop the efforts to spread Islam in Somalia. With the power of Allah we have taken control of three districts in Galgadud region," Sheik Yusuf Kabokudukade, a senior al-Shabab official in the region, said.

"We will not stop until we take control of the whole region from the enemy of Allah," he said.

The loss of the three towns will be a blow to Ahlu Sunna and the government, which signed a deal last month to work together against al-Shabab.

'Steep price'

Al-Shabab, which the US says is affiliated to al-Qaeda, controls much of south and central Somalia, as well as large areas of Mogadishu.
US-based Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday that the group had "brought stability to some areas long plagued by violence", but that the local population was "paying a very steep price".

It accused the group's fighters of "implacable repression and brutality" in the areas unders its control.

The transitional government has little real control over the country, holding only a few parts of the capital despite assistance from an international peacekeeping force.

On Thursday, the UN special representative to Somalia said that there could be no peace for the Horn of Africa country without national reconciliation.

"Somalia will not experience stability or peace without national reconciliation," he told reporters after a meeting of the International Contact Group on Somalia, which includes representatives from the United Nations, the African Union and the Arab League.

"The essential problem in Somalia is instability rooted in the fact that every tribe or faction believes it has a right of veto, despite the existence of a government recognised by the international community and by neighbouring countries."

Amr Mussa, the secretary-general of the Arab League, urged Somalia's disparate groups not to reject the peace process, saying that their integration in the process was "without exception an essential condition for its success."

"Without comprehensive reconciliation and support for the legitimate transitional government, reconstruction efforts in Somalia are doomed to fail," he said.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991.

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Egyptian police arrested an Israeli dirt biker who illegally crossed the border on Saturday, a security official said.

The 36-year-old man, who led police on a chase after he crossed into the Sinai Peninsula, told them he entered Egypt by mistake after he was separated from his fellow bikers.

Last month, Egyptian police detained an Israeli journalist after he tried to cross the border with an African illegal migrant. The Channel 10 reporter was released a week later.

The 250-kilometre (150-mile) frontier has become a significant channel for illegal immigrants and drug smugglers, prompting Israel to ask Egypt to step up controls.

Egyptian police have killed dozens of African migrants in the past few years as they tried to enter Israel.

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CAIRO (Reuters) - The further integration of Arabic language capabilities in internet and other technological architecture will grant millions access to the digital world, Microsoft and Google executives said.

As devices and applications become more ubiquitous in less developed countries, their content will grow and an embryonic e-economy should flourish, they said.

"(Microsoft CEO) Steve Ballmer and I a few years ago talked and believed Arabic would be an increasingly important language," said Craig Mundie, Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer. "And yet, because of the way the internet was evolving, it wasn't a language that was getting a lot of use."

But while Arab world internet use since 2000 has grown faster than anywhere else and access costs have shrunk, content still punches below its weight and ad spending remains tiny.

Arabic content is less than 1 percent of world totals though speakers constituting 5 percent of the global population.

The Arabic portal of online encyclopedia Wikipedia carries less words than its Catalan site, Google's regional marketing manager Wael Ghonim said.

"There is a lot of Arabic content but it is not well structured," he said. "We want more structured content. We want more of the professional, niche sites, more businesses."

"One of our biggest missions is to enable Arabic users to find the right tools to enrich Arabic content," Ghonim said. "It would be great to see more e-commerce in the region, more publishers, more news sites. We are committed to help them."

Asked how Google could aid such regional growth, Ghonim said: "We have a very ambitious plan in the next few months, we are working on many initiatives." He did not elaborate.

Regional spending on online advertising was around $90 million in 2009, up from $66.5 million in 2008 and $38 million in 2007 but still miniscule compared to Britain's $5.3 billion.

Ghonim said Arabic speakers have historically engaged in poorly organized and difficult to archive forums, citing a message board used by 400,000 teachers in Saudi Arabia.

Both Google and Microsoft place Arabic in their top ten languages in need of prioritized attention.

Microsoft's Mundie was visiting the Cairo Microsoft Innovation Center, a regional hub launched in 2006 that released Windows extension Maren, which converts Arabic written in Roman characters into Arabic script. It is Microsoft's second most popular service by page views after Internet Explorer 8.

ARABIC WEB ADDRESSES, MOBILE ACCESS

Egypt and Saudi Arabia registered the first domain names written in the right-to-left Arabic script late last year, after global internet regulator ICANN voted to allow non-Latin script to be used in web addresses in November.

In Egypt, internet access is becoming cheaper and use of internet on mobile devices is blossoming. Egypt plans a $1 billion upgrade to its broadband capacity over four years to quadruple penetration to 20 percent.

"The next few million Egyptian internet users will be people who don't really speak English," Ghonim said.

Such users will likely not foray deeply into the internet's marketplace initially, but will no longer be hindering from creating part of the fabric of the web by language constraints.

"Think of the guy running a very small one-stop shop in (Nile delta industrial city) Mahalla," Ghonim said. "You should facilitate for him a complete experience in Arabic, from the way he registers his domain to finding a hosting company to communicating to his customers."

Mundie said the Arab world was well-placed to skip PC-dominated use and go straight to mobile internet.

"The arrival of a very low cost form of computing coupled to the mobile network creates an alternative entry point into the world of computing and internet usage," he added.

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Campaign posters endorsing Nigeria's Acting President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2011 presidential election have gone up at strategic points in the capital city Abuja, residents said on Saturday.

Jonathan, who was voted into office by parliament in February after President Umaru Yar'Adua left the country to be treated for a heart ailment, is yet to make known his plan for next year's polls.

"Support a visionary in 2011" and "Goodluck is the positive hope for Nigeria," are the inscriptions on the posters, sponsored by an unknown group calling itself the "Northern Youth Movement for Positive Change".

Officials in Jonathan's office said that they were not aware of the posters, seen by an AFP reporter.

Jonathan was Yar'Adua's deputy from May 2007 until he took power.

A former governor of southern Bayelsa State, he is the first person originating from the oil-rich Niger Delta to have risen to the position of Nigerian president.

However his ruling Peoples Democratic Party said recently that the party's flagbearer for the 2011 poll will be a northerner.

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Deadly clashes erupted between Chadian troops and rebels on Chad's side of the border with Sudan on Saturday, the rebels' leader said.

"There was ground fighting this morning in Tissi. Things are calm now and we are awaiting their aircraft," said Popular Front for National Renaissance (PFNR) chief Adoum Yacoub of the likelihood of an air raid.

"There were casualties on both sides," Yacoub told AFP in Khartoum by satellite telephone without elaborating on the number of casualties.

The PFNR is the only Chadian rebel movement currently operating inside the country, with others grouped across the border in Sudan.

At the beginning of April, Chadian mediator Abderaman Moussa met rebel representatives in Sudan, and it was agreed to meet again in the first half of May.

"We were not associated with those discussions," Yacoub said on Saturday.

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Angelina Teny, the defeated candidate for the governorship of oil-rich Unity state in south Sudan who had two of her supporters shot dead, on Saturday accused her victorious rival of cheating.

On Friday incumbent governor Taban Deng, the official candidate of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), announced that he had retained his post in this month's elections.

The announcement triggered protests in which two Teny supporters were shot dead by security forces in the Unity state capital of Bentiu.

According to the election commission, Deng garnered 137,362 votes against 63,561 for Teny. An earlier partial count had showed Teny with a lead of 24,000 votes.

Teny, in an interview with AFP in Bentiu, accused Deng of altering "all the results, not just those of the governorship poll," based not on political considerations but on "how he feels about the person."

"It's a very sad day for democracy. I'm just wondering when you want to set up a democratic system, is this the best kind of foundation to put in place?" she asked.

"The situation that has been created by this unfortunate announcement -- because we do not accept these results -- is a matter that I think will have grave repercussions, not just for now but for the future of this place."

The decision by Teny, herself a senior SPLM member, to stand as an independent against Deng caused a stir within the former rebel movement and could further heighten tensions in the sensitive state.

But Teny, the wife of south Sudan's vice president Riek Machar, was quick to reiterate a call for her supporters to remain calm after Friday's protests.

"There is no point in losing life. That stage in our war is over. There is no point in telling people to come out if they are going to get shot," she said.

"The preparations in this state for the last five days have been like a preparation for war, with heavy presence of the army and the heavy-handed way people are being dealt with."

On Wednesday one of her campaign aides in Bentiu was "arrested and tortured and taken all over the place," Teny said, adding that the aide was eventually released.

Unity state, straddling the border between north and south Sudan, is one of the main oil-producing regions in a country whose crude output is around 480,000 barrels per day.

"This is a state that is very strategic, bordering on the northern states. It's also an oil-producing state and it borders two other southern states where there are conflicts (Lakes and Warrab). It's the last place where we need this kind of tension," Teny said.

Some 16 million registered voters across Sudan voted between April 11 and 15 for president, legislative and local representatives in the country's first multi-party election since 1986.

President Omar al-Beshir, who came to power in a military coup in 1989 backed by Islamists, is widely expected to be re-elected.

A referendum on southern independence is due to take place next January.

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KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Hard-pressed Sudanese election officials told staff to save time and stop entering results into a safeguard computer system, leaving vote counting open to fraud and error, international sources said Saturday.

Sudan is days late in announcing the results of its first open elections in 24 years, a complex process already marred by boycotts and opposition accusations of vote rigging.

The elections, set up under a 2005 peace deal that ended more than two decades of north-south civil war, were designed to help transform the oil-producing nation into a democracy ahead of a key 2011 southern referendum on secession.

Sudan's National Elections Commission (NEC) told state polling committees to stop collecting data on computers and start sending in voting figures collated on paper, said the three sources, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"The concern is that any way of tracking what's going on and any control mechanisms are out of the window. They could write down anything on a bit of paper," said one elections observer.

Sudan finished a five-day voting period last week and the final results of presidential, legislative and gubernatorial ballots were due Tuesday.

Early results suggest a big win for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's dominant National Congress Party in the north and former rebels Sudan People's Liberation Movement in the south.

NEC member al-Hadi Mohamed Ahmed denied it would make any difference to the result, "We are working by Internet, fax... anything -- this is Sudan after all," he said. "Some states don't even have electricity."

Mohamed Jaweesh, NEC head of IT, said staff shortages were among the problems delaying data input.

"They were supposed to concurrently send the manually tabulated results and input into the system," he told Reuters. "But now they will not wait for the system."

One observer said the software had a number of "red flags" built in that would show up obviously wrong or suspicious figures, for example a voter turnout of more than 100 percent.

"My understanding is that in various places, almost every result was going into quarantine because there was a query on it for some reason or another," the observer said.

A second international source close to the voting system said the computer system had already shown up discrepancies.

"Abandoning the automated system makes the entire results process extremely vulnerable to manipulation," the source said, adding the NEC had been advised against the move.