AU envoy secures Sudan commitment to solve Darfur crisis

Sep 2, 2005 (Khartoum) — The African Union mediator in the Darfur conflict secured Sudan’s President Omar al-Beshir’s commitment to support upcoming peace talks as he wrapped a three-day official visit Friday.

Beshir “unequivocally reiterated the commitment by the government of Sudan to supporting the inter-Sudanese peace talks scheduled for September 15 in Abuja,” Nigeria, a spokesman for AU envoy Salim Ahmed Salim told AFP.

The spokesman quoted Salim as saying he was “encouraged by this commitment.”

Beshir was quoted by local media as calling on the AU to “assume firm stances with regards to commitment by all parties to the ceasefire agreement and to locating the positions of feuding parties for creating a conducive atmosphere for the forthcoming negotiations.”

The AU’s 6,000-strong peacekeeping force is monitoring an April 2004 ceasefire between Khartoum-backed militias and Darfur rebels, which has repeatedly been breached.

The Sudanese president also requested “accelerated negotiations in Abuja, particularly as the country is presently implementing the (north-south) Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which stands an evidence of the government’s sincerity towards reaching peace and stability to the people of Darfur.”

Salim met during his visit with leaders from the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) — the main Darfur rebel group — and the smaller Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

He said he also obtained their support for the peace talks.

According to some estimates, up to 300,000 have died and more than two million been displaced in the 30-month-old Darfur conflict.

Although the humanitarian situation has improved and the violence receded in recent months, incidents continue to plague peace initiatives and efforts to repatriate the displaced.

The UN mission in Sudan on Thursday quoted a government report alleging that five troops had been killed in an ambush earlier this week in Darfur.

AFP/ST.