Darfur peace negotiations stumbling

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Jun 23, 2005 (UPI) — Peace negotiations regarding Sudan’s Darfur crisis stumbled after resuming in Nigeria two weeks ago, due to sharp differences between two main rebel groups.

The talks mainly stumbled over the insistence of the Justice and Equality Movement, one of the rebel groups, to reject Chad’s mediation which is sponsored by the African Union, and differences on the final draft of the declaration of principles.

A statement by the Justice and Equality Movement Thursday accused the Sudanese and Chadian governments of cooperating with the rival Sudan Liberation Party to weaken the movement.

“They are seeking not only to eliminate our movement but to liquidate the whole Darfur cause which is the cause of the marginalized,” the statement said.

Political analysts say mediators are complaining about growing differences between the Sudanese government and the two rebel groups over the amended draft of the declaration of principles.

The Chadian delegation held Khalil Ibrahim, chief of the Justice and Equality Movement, responsible for the stumbling negotiations, stressing that Chad is participating the talks by decision of the five-nation African summit on Darfur which convened in Libya earlier.