Sudan’s Darfur rebels hope to attend UN session in Nairobi

NAIROBI, Nov 18 (AFP) — A delegation from one of the two main rebel groups in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region was in Nairobi on Thursday, hoping to attend a special session of the UN Security Council in the city.

A rebel from MJE.

Ali Ahmed Rao of the Sudan Liberation Movement told AFP that representatives of the group had arrived in Nairobi and expected to participate in the two-day event. “We have just arrived,” he said.

The rebels had still not been cleared to attend when the meeting commenced and it was unlikely they would take part in the opening session.

The session, chaired by the United States, was expected to focus on efforts to resolve Sudan’s civil war, particularly the north-south conflict.

The 21-month conflict in the western region of Darfur was not expected to feature prominently on the agenda of the meeting.