Sudan’s Darfur talks stalled over differences on no-fly zone
By DANIEL BALINT-KURTI, Associated Press Writer
ABUJA, Nigeria, Nov 5, 2004 (AP) — Disagreement over creation of a no-fly zone in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region stalled the signing of a security accord between government and rebels, who met for another day of talks Friday in Nigeria’s capital.
African Union mediators and Western diplomats have been trying for two weeks to broker an accord to end fighting in Sudan’s Darfur region, which has uprooted 1.6 million people and killed tens of thousands.
On Thursday, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo — the talks’ host — met with rebels and government officials to break the deadlock over one key article in the draft: imposing flight restrictions over Darfur.
“The headache is the question of the no-fly zone all over Darfur,” Ibrahim Mohammed Ibrahim, spokesman for Sudan’s government delegation, said Friday. “We are negotiating on that exclusive point.” The day’s talks ended with no agreement.
The draft calls for “an effective cease-fire on land and air, in particular: refraining from all hostilities and military actions.”
Pressure from Obasanjo and other nations appeared to have yielded results when both rebel groups at the talks announced at late-night talks on Thursday that they would sign the accord without any amendments.
However, the Sudanese government is refusing to sign. The head of the government delegation, Majzoub Khalifa, has said he would accept the restriction on flights only in return for a promise by rebels to confine themselves to specified garrisons.
The African Union’s chief mediator at the talks, Chadian diplomat Allan-Mi Ahmad, said the body would not budge on what was in the draft accord.
“We have done the maximum possible,” said Ahmad. “We are waiting for the government of Sudan.”
Sudan’s Arab-dominated government is widely accused of mounting bombing raids in coordination with ground attacks by Arab tribal militia on the villages of non-Arab African farmers.
Sudan’s government is accused of backing ethnic Arab militia, the so-called Janjaweed, in a campaign of violence — including rapes, killings and the burning of villages — to help put down a 20-month rebellion by non-Arab African groups. The government denies backing the militias.
Hardships including disease and malnutrition are believed to have killed more than 70,000 of the displaced within Darfur since March. Many more have been killed in fighting since the conflict broke out in February 2003, although there is no firm estimate of the direct toll of the war.
The talks began in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, two weeks ago after two earlier rounds collapsed.
South African defense officials said Friday they expected to grant an African Union request to send about 200 more troops to join the peace mission in Darfur.
The contingent would assist in monitoring and observing compliance with an April 8 cease-fire between the Sudanese government and Darfur rebel groups, South Africa’s military said in a statement.
The African Union is in the process of increasing the size of its mission in Darfur sevenfold, to more than 3,000 personnel.
A U.N. spokesman said on Friday that violence is increasing in Darfur, and accused the government of failing to respond to calls by the world body to disarm the Janjaweed.