AU urges govt, Darfur rebels to cease hostilities
Sept 22, 2005 (ABUJA) — The African Union (AU) on Thursday urgedthe Sudanese government and one rebel group to exercise maximum restraint and to cease all military actions in the troubled regionof Darfur immediately.
In a statement, the 53-member pan-African body stated violations of a ceasefire agreement signed in April last year casta cloud on the ongoing sixth round of peace talks aimed at ending almost three years of conflict in Darfur, which started a week agoin Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
“The Special Envoy of the AU … Salim Ahmed Salim, is gravely concerned over the deteriorating security situation in north and south Darfur states, especially in the areas of Shangil Tobaya and Al Mallam,” the statement said.
“He appeals to … the government of Sudan and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) … to put an immediate end to all military activities in all sectors in Darfur which have negatively impacted on the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need and threatens the current round of the peace talks, ” said the statement.
“Finally, he appeals to the AU, the United Nations and the wider international community to exert every pressure to ensure that those who would want to derail the ongoing efforts to end the conflict in Darfur, do not succeed.”
Omer Adam, spokesman for the Sudanese government delegation, told Xinhua the SLM/A had captured a town named Shairiyya, south Darfur state’s capital early this week. “The situation in Darfur now is quiet, but such ceasefire violations should not be repeated,” he said.
The delegation meanwhile in a statement said during the past two days the SLM/A had attacked two other towns, Khazan Jedeed andUmm Dereisa.
“Solid reports from the field now confirm the ill intentions ofthe SLM/A to continue its aggression,” the statement said. “In fact, mobilization of forces of this movement from different corners is underway to enlarge the scope of violence and instability in Darfur.”
Abdulhraman Musa, spokesman with the SLA/M, however, said his group had no plans to abandon negotiations. On Monday, he accused militias backed by the government of launching fresh attacks at the weekend on two towns in Darfur, which allegedly led to the death of 30 people.
Ahmed Tugod, spokesman of the second main group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), insisted that these attacks could notaffect the ongoing peace process in Darfur as ceasefire violationsby both parties were not uncommon in the past.
All the three parties involved in the Darfur crisis are currently holding a series of workshops on the issues of power andwealth sharing as well as security arrangement in Abuja in preparation for the formal talks scheduled for next Monday.
Moussa Hamani, spokesman for the African Union, said the workshops on power and wealth sharing had concluded deliberation while the final workshop on security arrangement got underway on Thursday.
The Darfur conflict, which pitted Sudanese government troop andmilitias against the rebel groups since 2003, has claimed thousands of lives and driven more than one million others from their homes. The Sudanese government has however repeatedly distanced itself from the militia.
The African Union has brokered a shaky ceasefire and struggled to find a lasting solution through five previous rounds of talks, which however failed to get substantial agreements.
(Xinhua/ST)