Darfur rebels boycott ceasefire commission

KHARTOUM, March 9 (Reuters) – Rebels in Sudan’s Darfur said on Tuesday they boycotted the activities of a ceasefire monitoring body because they are not consulted on decisions affecting African Union activities in the region.

A member of Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) walks with his rifle at Ashma village 30 km (19 miles) from Nyala, south Darfur, October 6, 2004. (Reuters).

The rebels said Sudan, as a member state, is represented on an internal AU body that makes decisions about the pan-African body’s monitoring of the shaky April ceasefire but they are left without a voice.

“Since Saturday, we have boycotted the activities of the ceasefire commission,” said Abdur Rahman Fadul, who represents the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) on the commission.

JEM and the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM) are the two main rebels groups in Darfur. Both are represented on the ceasefire commission along with Sudanese government and AU officials.

“We have reservations regarding decisions being made without consultation with all the parties,” Fadul told Reuters by telephone from Darfur.

Representatives to the commission in Darfur investigate reported violations of the ceasefire while other representatives meet regularly in Chadian capital N’Djamena.

Mirghani Ahmed, another JEM representative to the commission, said the rebels were unhappy after not being consulted about increases in AU troops and police from AU member states patrolling Darfur with their Sudanese counterparts.

Officials from the SLM were not immediately available for comment but have previously said they were also boycotting the commission.

The JEM officials said they had informed the AU of their decision in a joint letter sent to the body last week but had yet to receive a response.

Mirghani added AU and rebel officials meeting in Asmara to discuss restarting talks with the government would also deal with renewing rebel participation in the commission.

Darfur’s rebels launched a revolt in early 2003 complaining of official neglect and marginalisation. Fighting is said to have killed around 70,000 people and driven near 2 million from their homes.