Khartoum rules out turning Darfur into no-fly zone

KHARTOUM, Nov 2 (AFP) — Khartoum vigorously rejected Tuesday the idea of turning the violence-wracked region of Darfur into a no-fly zone, a proposal included in the latest deal drafted in ongoing peace talks in Nigeria.

“We absolutely reject any proposal calling for banning flights in west Sudan,” Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail [photo] told reporters here.

As pressure was mounting on both sides to accept a deal ending the 20-month-old civil war, which has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, rebel movements and observers said the latest draft proposal included the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Darfur.

“This proposal seems better than before, and it includes the fact that Darfur should be a no-fly zone,” a rebel spokesman in Abuja had said overnight.

An independent observer at the African Union-sponsored talks described the proposal as including a “ban on undertaking hostile military flights to and in the Darfur region.”

Each side has accused the other of violating a ceasefire reached in April, with rebels charging government planes have continued raids over Darfur and Khartoum claiming rebel groups were staging daily attacks on civilians and officials.