Darfur rebel SLA say won’t attend peace talks
Sept 14, 2005 (CAIRO) — The main rebel group in the war-torn region of Darfur in western Sudan said it would not attend key peace talks with the Khartoum government due to open in Nigeria Thursday.
“Our position remains the same: we will not attend political negotiations on Thursday with the Sudanese government until we hold our general conference on September 25-27,” said a statement from the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) on Wednesday.
The group said it would still send a high-level delegation to the Nigerian capital Abuja “to inform the African Union and international mediators of our decision.”
Besides Sudan’s government and the SLM, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) was due to attend the talks.
The negotiations had initially been scheduled for August 24, but were put off at the request of the SLM, which said it first needed to hold a conference of its members.
The group had already warned last week might not even be able to meet the new date.
Analysts say the delay reflects a rift within the movement with one faction led by SLM leader Abdul Wahid Mohammed Nur in favor of taking part and another led by secretary general Mani Arko Minawi wanting a postponement.
The launch of the rebel uprising in February 2003 in Darfur prompted a scorch earth response from the government, which unleashed Arab militias against minority villages suspected of supporting the rebels.
Up to 300,000 people have died and more than two million more fled their homes during the conflict, which has led to accusations of war crimes against militia commanders and government officials.
(AFP/ST)