West Sudan rebels agree to talks : Peace group

GENEVA, Jan 30 (Reuters) – A Geneva-based peace group said on Friday three rebel groups in western Sudan, where fighting is provoking a humanitarian crisis, had agreed to talks and it hoped the government would also take part.

A spokesman for the Henry Dunant Centre said rebels agreed to send representatives to Geneva for a meeting in mid-February, and that discussions on possible government participation would be held soon.

“We are planning to bring together the three rebel groups and the government for talks here in Geneva,” said spokesman Andy Andrea. “The rebel groups have confirmed,” he added.

Officials from the centre, which was involved in an ultimately failed bid to negotiate an accord in Indonesia’s troubled Aceh region, will meet Sudanese First Vice-President Ali Osman Taha in Khartoum on February 8.

“It is at their invitation,” said Andrea.

Peace talks between the government and the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, one of western Sudan’s rebel groups, broke down in December and since then fighting has escalated.

Sudan’s state radio on Friday quoted an army statement saying that government forces have captured the town of Tine and seven camps from rebels in Darfur.

Thousands of refugees have fled the region into neighbouring Chad, with little in the way of food or shelter in one of the remotest corners of Africa.

The revolt began a year ago, with rebels saying they rose against government discrimination against Africans in favour of Arabs in the impoverished area.

Khartoum and rebels in the south — the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) — have made major progress towards ending a two-decade-long civil war in talks in Kenya.