Darfur rebel group says mediation encourages fragmentation

November 9, 2007 (PARIS) — A Darfur rebel group denounced the joint mediation for encouraging dissidence of commanders and allowing them to attend the brokered peace talks in Libya under the name of the group.

The leader of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement Unity Command (SLM-Unity), Abdalla Yahia, said in a statement issued on Thursday that the mediation team had convinced one of its commanders, Adam Bakheit, to participate in Sirte peace talks under the name of the group.

Yahia further said this move comes after his rejection to participate in the peace talks and aims to punish the SLM-Unity for its refusal.

“The mediation wants to punish us by inciting our commanders to disobey and to split. All that because of we refuse to take part in the talks. We do not know for whom the mediation produces groups, issues a birth certificate and then it regrets their multiplication.” Yahya said.

The rebel leader said the mediation team did all that while they know very well the leadership of the SLM-Unity and its position from Sirte talks.

The SLM-Unity was one of the first rebel groups to announce their opposition to the peace talks with the Sudanese government that begun on October 27 in a bid to end the conflict that has raged since February 2003.

The rebel group requested more time to achieve a reunification process before the talks. Also in a joint statement with the rebel Justice and Equality Movement of Khalil Ibrahim, the two groups regretted the ill preparations of the talks and demanded to be fully involved in the choice of the date and the venue of the talks.

Darfur main rebel groups boycott the Libyan sponsored peace talks. Last week the mediation adjourned the negotiations and sent contact team to persuade the recalcitrant rebels to attend the talks in December.

(ST)