Darfur rebel umbrella to unite armed wings

August 20, 2007 (ASMARA) — An Asmara-based umbrella group of Darfur rebel movements announced Monday it would return to the war-torn western Sudanese region to unify its armed wings into a single force.

Representatives of the United Front for Liberation and Development (UFLD) – an alliance of five factions formed last month – promised that their troops would work to protect aid workers and non-government organizations (NGOs).

“The leaders are going back to Darfur to unify all the armies into one group,” UFLD official Abdel Aziz told reporters in the Eritrean capital Asmara.

“They will be protecting civilians and creating a secure area for NGOs doing their work in Darfur,” he added.

The move comes two weeks after most Darfur rebel factions met in Arusha, Tanzania for talks sponsored by mediators from the United Nations and African Union to hammer out a common platform ahead of peace talks with Khartoum.

However Abdel Aziz stressed that final settlement negotiations with the Sudanese government could only take place if Suleiman Jamous, a veteran rebel who has been confined to a hospital and seen as a key negotiator, is released.

“No negotiation will take place unless Suleiman Jamous has been released,” said Abdel Aziz.

According to the United Nations, Khartoum has agreed to let Jamous travel abroad for treatment. The 62-year-old rebel, a member of the Sudan Liberation Movement, is expected in Kenya.

According to UN estimates, at least 200 000 people have died from the combined effect of war and famine since the start of the Darfur conflict and some two million have been displaced.

Some experts say the toll is higher but Khartoum puts the figure at nine thousand.

The civil war broke out when rebel groups complaining of marginalisation by Khartoum launched a rebellion, which was brutally repressed by the Sudanese government and its proxy militia, the Janjaweed.

(AFP)