Darfur talks mediators propose 4-week recess

ABUJA, Nigeria, Sep 15, 2004 (PANA) — Mediators at the Darfur peace talks in
Abuja, Nigeria have proposed a recess of three to four weeks for the parties after negotiations seemed deadlocked for the past several days over the issue of security.

But African Union (AU) officials said the decision on whether to
take a break or not would wait until the parties meet again with
talks host and AU chairman, Nigerian President Obasanjo, later
Wednesday or Thursday.

“We are consulting with all the parties. After that, we will
brief President Obasanjo,” AU official Niang Boubou told PANA in
Abuja Wednesday.

President Obasanjo’s intervention on Tuesday, when he met with
the parties at the state house, failed to break the deadlock over
whether rebels and pro-government forces should disarm
simultaneously.

The rebels are opposed to disarmament of their forces ahead of a
comprehensive peace agreement with the government, while the
government is keen on seeing the rebels disarm at the same time
as pro-government militias, including the Janjaweed blamed for
most of the atrocities perpetrated in the western Darfur region.

At Tuesday’s meeting, President Obasanjo urged the parties to
sign the protocol on the humanitarian agreement agreed upon,
despite an earlier proviso that the agreement would be signed
only when an accord has been reached on the security issue.

Analysts said the AU Chairman wanted at least a signed document
to indicate progress at the talks, which opened in the Nigerian
capital 23 August – several days after similar talks collapsed in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

While the government agreed to sign the accord in principle, the
rebels asked for time to consult.

Rebels spokesman Ahmed Togodt said Wednesday (rebel) commanders
were not in support of signing the accord, since the issues in
the agreement are linked with those being considered under
security.

He spoke as representatives of the two main rebel groups –
Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation
Movement/Army (SLM/A) – left the International Conference Centre
venue of the talks to consult with the Nigerian foreign minister
Oluyemi Adeniji.

According to UN figures, 19 months of fighting in Darfur have
left 50,000 dead and more than one million displaced, triggering
what it calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.