Sudan discusses disarmament with Chadian rebels

October 4, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan is holding talks with the Chadian rebel about their armed presence in the country, told the AFP the spokesperson of the rebel Union of Forces of Resistance (UFR) on Monday.

Once their best supporter, the improvement of bilateral relations between Khartoum and Ndjamena pushed the Sudanese and Chadian authorities to stop their support for rebel groups from both sides.

On 23 September, another rebel National Alliance for Democratic Change (ANCD), had reported that Chadian rebels based in Sudan are under pressure since three months to disarm.

“We have intensive discussions over the past ten days” with the Sudanese, “said Abderaman Koulamallah spokesperson of the coalition of eight rebel movements.

“The Sudanese have posed the problem of our armed presence in the territory” after the warming of relations between Chad and Sudan, he said.

“We do not oppose improved relations “between the two countries, he stressed..

The rebel group on Sunday released a statement urging all his troops to remain calm.

In another communiqué put out on Sunday, the rebels’ movements from different “claim to have created on September 28, at Ainsirou in Darfur (western Sudan), a movement” called Concorde national resistance to Democracy (NIEA).

“We decided to organize ourselves (…) and to prepare for the resistance,” said Abakar Tollimi, former General Secretary of the Faculty, appointed to chair the NDRC, adding that the movement had “more than 500 to 600 men “.

“Our hope is that there are talks with the government of Chad that will lead us to seal an agreement and to return to the country,” he said.

Chad and Sudan since last January are engaged in a process of normalization of their relationship after five years of wars, by proxy groups.

Chad and Sudan stopped arming rebel groups and deployed a joint force along the border between the two countries.

(ST)