Sudanese troops round up suspected rebels

KHARTOUM, Sudan -- The violence and ethnic persecution in Sudan's Darfur region could be spreading to the capital in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt here.

Sudanese soldiers rounded up suspected rebels in the capital Sunday. In one arrest witnessed by a USA TODAY reporter, troops pummeled a screaming man with their boots, clenched fists and the butts of their AK-47 rifles.

The soldiers dragged the suspect across the asphalt in front of a crowd of onlookers, some of whom cheered, "Allahu Akbar!" or "God is great!"

Sudan's capital, Khartoum, had been largely free of the violence that has killed at least 200,000 people and forced 2.5 million from their homes in the western province of Darfur since 2003.

That has changed since Saturday, when hundreds of rebels from the Darfur region attacked the capital. The government declared victory after several hours of gunfighting, artillery ...