Darfur ceasefire “on the brink of collapse” – rebels

Oct 15, 2005 (NDJAMENA) — The crisis of the civil war in Darfur has escalated after the preliminary talks on the power-sharing failed in Abuja and the cease fire agreement between the Sudanese government and the Darfur rebels is on the brink of collapse due to the impasse in the talks on security in N’djamena.

Mani Arkoi Minawi

Sudan Liberation Movement’s (SLM) secretary-general, Mani Arkoi Minawi, said yesterday “The main reason for the impasse in the talks on security is the glaring weakness of the AU mediators” committee and its failure to exert pressure on the government forces and their allied militias.”

He further said Darfur was sliding into total chaos and asked the international community to send a UN representative to act as mediator and help resolve the crisis, pointing out that the crisis in Darfur had not given rise to international concern as the civil war in southern Sudan had done.

For his part, representative of Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) at the Abuja talks, Ahmad Hussein, criticized the African Union (AU) and said African mediators had decided to move to the issue of wealth-sharing after the preliminary talks on power-sharing failed.

He said JEM and the SLM delegation were waiting for the arrival of the former rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) to take part in the talks, since the two rebel groups and the SPLM had in the past reached a clear understanding, which had helped the talks proceed smoothly.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has condemned the escalating violence in Darfur, urging the parties to the conflict to resolve the crisis through the Abuja peace talks.

(ST)