text: Sudan arrests opposition sewing machine smugglers . KHARTOUM 1996-08-24 Sudanese police have arrested three people trying to smuggle sewing machines and army clothing to Sudanese opposition groups in Eritrea , an official newspaper reported on Saturday . The government-owned al-Ingaz al-Watani said the smugglers were caught in Banat in the eastern state of Kassala , on the border with Eritrea , and had confessed they were on their way to " the so-called alliance forces which have been undertaking subversive operations on the eastern border " . Authorities in Kassala said opposition forces based in Eritrea have been laying landmines and stealing vehicles and other goods to smuggle them across the border into Eritrea . Sudan accuses the Eritrean authorities of providing support to Sudanese opposition elements based in Eritrea . Eritrea cut diplomatic ties with Sudan in 1994 , accusing it of training rebels to make raids into Eritrea . The exiled National Democratic Alliance , a Sudanese umbrella opposition group , has its headquarters in the Eritrean capital Asmara . It uses the former Sudanese embassy .