Sudan’s Darfur rebels accuse govt of continuing attacks, refuse talks

ABUJA, Dec 16 (AFP) — Rebel leaders accused the Sudanese government of pursuing an offensive in the western region of Darfur on Thursday despite an earlier promise to rein in its troops in order to revive stalled peace talks.

SLA listens to the radio.

Representatives of the rebel Sudanese Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement told AFP in Abuja that they would not return to African Union-sponsored negotiations until Khartoum called off its alleged attack.

“The information I’m hearing now from our commanders in the field is that they’ve not stopped their attacks,” said Ibrahim Baha, an SLM spokesman.

“Even as of this morning there are attacks in areas of Tawila, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) to the west of El-Fasher,” he said. “The government is using helicopter gunships and artillery. The Janjaweed is burning villages.”

The Janjaweed is a government-sponsored Arab militia which has been accused by the United Nations of carrying out murderous attacks on Darfur’s black African communities, who are suspected of supporting the rebel cause.

JEM’s chief negotiator, Mohammed Ahmed Tugod, confirmed the rebel position.

“Practically, there’s nothing on the ground to change our position,” he said when asked whether the rebels were ready to resume negotiations with Khartoum.

On Wednesday, the government promised the talks’ AU mediators that it would halt its latest offensive against insurgent areas of Darfur, which has been ravaged by conflict since the rebels launched an insurrection in February 2003.

AU officials told AFP that the commander of the AU peacekeeping force in Darfur, General Festus Okonkwo, would brief the Abuja delegates on the latest situation on the ground later on Thursday.

The international community has been pressuring both sides in the conflict to redouble their efforts to find a peaceful, political solution to the Darfur crisis through the Abuja talks process, but progress has been slow.