Mediators try to save Darfur rebel SLM from division

Oct 30, 2005 (HASKANITA, western Sudan) — Mediators from Darfur’s main rebel group arrived at a unity meeting on Sunday to try and reconcile its two leaders whose differences have stalled African Union-sponsored talks to end the conflict in western Sudan.

The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) began its congress to elect a new leadership amid heavy security on Saturday, after delaying it for many days awaiting the arrival of its President Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur.

Nur refused to attend saying he was not consulted in the preparations of the conference but Secretary-General Minni Arcua Minnawi did come and urged Nur to join him. Personality differences have meant they rarely present a united front.

“We arrived this morning from the headquarters (in the mountainous Jabel Marra region) where we met the president and some field commanders,” said Ahmed Abdel Shafiq Yagoub, one of the chief negotiators at peace talks in Nigeria.

“We are worried that this situation now is going to divide the movement,” he told Reuters.

SLA field commanders said they called the congress because they were worried about stand-offs between their leaders.

Many people said that if Nur did not come he would not be elected to the leadership. “We had invited the leaders and we are their grass roots and we want them to come,” said chief organiser Ibrahim Ahmed Ibrahim.

Yagoub said he wanted to stop the conference electing a leadership as planned, because it would split the group, adding a new meeting should take place later with all leaders present.

“There is a real need for such a meeting,” he said. “But we want all the people to be involved and this could be a workshop to unite the military first and then later we can have a full meeting.”

Thousands of soldiers with weapons from rocket propelled grenades to anti-aircraft guns were present at the conference.

Up to ten thousand civilians and hundreds of delegates took part, some after travelling for days through hostile territory.

Up to nine people lost their lives coming from refugee camps in neighbouring Chad, where some 200,000 Darfuris have fled.

Factionalism within the SLA and escalating violence in Darfur has hampered peace efforts, which ended a sixth round on Oct. 20 in the Nigerian capital Abuja with little progress.

(Reuters/ST)