Darfur talks with Sudan govt to focus on security arrangements: rebels

By ABAKAR SALEH, Associated Press Writer

N’DJAMENA, Chad, Oct 19, 2004 (AP) — A new round of peace talks between Sudan’s government and rebels in the Darfur region will deal with security arrangements so thousands of people can return to their villages and aid workers can operate without hindrance, a rebel spokesman said Tuesday.

During a previous round of talks, which broke down in Nigeria last month, the two sides had agreed to provide aid workers free access to people affected by the 20-month conflict, said Adam Ali Shogar, spokesman of the Sudan Liberation Army.

“We finished negotiations on humanitarian issues, but refused to sign it before resolving security issues,” Shogar told The Associated Press. “When talks resume Thursday, we expect to discuss security issues in Darfur to enable people to go back to their homeland.”

The rebel position prevented relief aid from reaching thousands in remote parts of Darfur.

The United States and humanitarian groups accuse elements of Sudan’s government and allied Arab militia of committing genocide against Africans who live in Darfur. The government denies genocide has occurred.

An estimated 70,000 people have died since conflict broke out early last year, according to U.N. figures. Nearly 1.5 million more have fled to refugee camps, including tens of thousands crossing into neighboring Chad.

The rebels plan to press the Sudanese government in the upcoming talks to disarm the Arab militia under international supervision, stop aerial bombardment of civilians, and withdraw government troops and pro-government militia from areas they occupied since the conflict began, Shogar said.

Rebels also plan to press for an international commission to investigate war crimes in Darfur during the talks, which are set to take place in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, Shogar said.

“These are reasonable proposals, and without these, we cannot reach a solution,” Shogar said.

Chadian President Idriss Deby, who mediated the April cease-fire, disagreed with the rebel position.

“We are appealing to the rebels to be more reasonable, to soften their position to let us reach a global and sustainable peace in Darfur,” Deby said.

Shogar said there was no room for compromise.

“It is not a matter of flexibility or inflexibility, it is a matter of rights,” Shogar said.

Meanwhile, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said the Janjaweed militia attacked two Darfur villages in recent days.

The attacks on the villages of Abu Surug and Bir Seiba on Saturday reportedly killed 11 people, UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said in a statement issued in Geneva.

He said the Janjaweed attack was part of “a general problem of insecurity,” and he cited an attack on a police station at Masteri on Oct. 10 allegedly carried out by one of Darfur’s two rebel groups.

Both the Janjaweed and the rebel attacks caused parts of Darfur to become temporary “no-go” areas for aid groups trying to deliver supplies to displaced people, Redmond said.

He added that people in Darfur’s camps for displaced people were complaining that Sudanese police refused to venture outside the camps to help victims of rape and other violence in nearby settlements.