Sudan’s Beshir laments stumbling Darfur negotiations
KHARTOUM, May 3 (AFP) — Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir said Tuesday that, despite improvement in the security and humanitarian situation in the western region of Darfur, peace negotiations are stumbling, largely due to “negative signals” from the UN Security Council.
“The previous period has witnessed several successful measures for containing the Darfur crisis that were mainly manifested in the voluntary return of considerable numbers of internally displaced persons to their villages, in controlling the health situation to make the region free of epidemics and in the remarkable improvement in the humanitarian situation as reflected in housing and feeding,” Beshir told the National Assembly.
“The direct and indirect talks, meanwhile, continued swinging between convening and adjourning due to the negative signals and unfair pressures embodied in recent UN Security Souncil resolutions, particularly 1591 and 1593, to which our people have reacted vigorously.”
Beshir, nevertheless, said, he is hopeful an agreement would be reached “in the very near future” as a result of joint efforts by the Sudanese people and by the African Union, in addition to the diplomatic support by neighbouring countries, particularly Libya, Chad and Egypt.
As many as 300,000 people are believed to have died in more than two years of civil strife pitting government forces and their Arab militia allies against ethnic minority rebels in the region.
The conflict has also displaced more than two million people, according to the United Nations.
Beshir also said provisions of the January 9 Comprehensive Peace Agreement “will offer a general framework for radically resolving all problems of our country topped by the Darfur problem.”
Beshir reiterated his appeal to all Sudanese political parties to participate in deliberations of the National Constitutional Review Commission, which has already started drafting a transitional constitution that will be effective during a six-year interim period.