Sudanese govt, rebels upbeat on accord to end Darfur fighting
ABUJA, Nigeria, Nov 3, 2004 (AP) — After months of peace talks, the Sudanese government and rebels moved close Wednesday to signing their first accord aimed at stopping ground and air attacks in the war-ravaged Darfur region.
African Union mediators shuttled between Sudanese rebel and government delegations in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, trying to secure the agreement, a day after reports of fresh violence in Darfur.
Jan Pronk, the top U.N. envoy to Sudan, accused security forces in southern Darfur Tuesday of forcing several thousand people who had taken refuge in a camp to move against their will in “flagrant violation” of international law.
Sudanese government officials denied Pronk’s allegations, but did say thousands of ethnic Arab Janjaweed militias – widely considered as government allies – stormed a western refugee camp to release 18 of their people kidnapped by rebels.
In Abuja, the smaller of the two rebel groups, the Justice and Equality Movement, said it was joining the rebel Sudan Liberation Army in pushing for the unambiguous imposition of a no-fly zone over Darfur in the security accord.
The current draft security accord, drawn up Nov. 1, calls for “an effective cease-fire on land and air, in particular: refraining from all hostilities and military actions.”
Justice and Equality Movement spokesman Ahmed Hussain Adam said he wanted the accord “to ban military flights in general, not only the hostile ones.”
The two rebel groups have accused Sudan’s government of bombing several Darfur villages with helicopters and aircraft since the talks began, a claim the government has denied.
Adam said he was confident an accord would be signed.
“It will be good news for our people, even if it won’t be perfect,” he said.
The draft accord also states that the Sudanese government would disarm ethnic Arab militias, but the rebel groups are demanding details on how and by when the Janjaweed would be disarmed.
Sudan’s government is accused of backing the Janjaweed in a campaign of violence – including rapes, killings and the burning of villages – to help put down a 19-month rebellion by non-Arab African groups. The government denies backing the militias.
The talks began in the Nigerian capital Abuja two weeks ago, after an earlier four-week round of talks there collapsed in September with rebels and the government failing to agree on security issues.