Split in Darfur rebel SLA ranks disrupts peace talks

ABUJA, June 27 (AFP) — Peace talks on the crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur hit the latest in a long series of obstacles on Monday with an apparent split in the ranks of one of two rebel groups taking part.

SLM’s Abdelwahed Mohamed A-Nur.

A spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), Mahgoub Hussein, told AFP his group had sacked the head of its negotiating team and would boycott further African Union-sponsored talks until its new leader is recognised.

“Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur is not our leader. We have written to the African Union about our position,” he said. “Our official leader and representative is Abdel Jaffar Tosa.”

But a spokesman for the African Union, which is hosting the talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja, said mediators could not change the status of delegates at the talks and would continue to recognise Nur as the top SLM negotiator.

“We don’t recognise factions. We will continue to negotiate on the way forward with the accredited representatives of the parties,” Nourredine Mezni said.

Mezni said Nur had written to AU special envoy Salim Ahmed Salim on Sunday and urged him to ignore correspondence from any other SLM factions.

“He said any other views are not of the SLM and should be ignored,” he added.

The talks between the government in Khartoum and two rebel groups resumed in Abuja on June 10 after a long furlough but have made little progress.

A second rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement, is also locked in a leadership dispute.

Meanwhile, Nigeria has expressed frustration at the slow pace of the talks and delegates seem unable to agree on a basic declaration of principles which would underlie future substantive political negotiations.