KHARTOUM, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese government confirmed fighting taking place on Saturday between army troops and rebels coming from the restive western Sudanese region of Darfur in the capital Khartoum.

    In a statement, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said that the army troops "are confronting infiltrators of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in northern Omdurman."

    The JEM, led by Khalil Ibrahim, is believed to have the most powerful rebel forces among some two dozens of rebel groups in Darfur, where a five-year conflict has led to the killing of over 10,000 people.

    The SAF statement said that "some remnants of the JEM have infiltrated northern Omdurman after they were repulsed in Northern Kordofan," the area neighboring Darfur.

    "In northern Omdurman, the Armed Forces are confronting bravely the infiltrators," the statement said, calling on the local residents to be cautious and extend information that can help in repulsing this rebel group.

    Heavy explosions and gun shots were heart in Omdurman Area, which is the north gate of the Sudanese capital leading to the restive western Sudanese region of Darfur.

    Large crowds of armed soldiers and policemen have appeared on the main roads in Khartoum, and the bridges on the Nile River between central Khartoum and Omdurman has been closed.

    This was the first time for the Darfur rebels to infiltrate the capital and launch attacks there since bloody conflict erupted in the western Sudanese region in February 2003.

    Meanwhile, the Sudanese Ministry of Interior declared curfew in Khartoum as of 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT) until 6:00 a.m. (0300 GMT) Sunday and called on the local residents to be cautious and to remain in their homes.

    "Minister of Interior Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid calls on the citizens to be cautious and to remain at home as the forces are still dealing with the group of infiltrators and to provide any information that assist in the arrest of the rebel group," a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior said.

    Since Thursday, the Sudanese government has repeatedly warned that rebels coming from Darfur were plotting to infiltrate the capital in order to carry out sabotage activities and arouse panic among the residents.

    The Sudanese police forces announced on Friday that they had taken security measures following reports that rebels from Darfur were attempting to infiltrate the capital Khartoum and other major cities in the country.

    The statement also asked the citizens to cooperate with the police and inform them immediately any suspicious movement.

    Earlier, the Sudanese army said in a statement that it received information on "preparations made by rebel Khalil Ibrahim to conduct sabotage attempt and a publicity stunt through infiltrating the capital and other cities."