Darfur rebel JEM threatens to quit peace talks

Oct 26, 2005 (CAIRO) — A Darfur rebel group said on Wednesday it would pull out of African Union (AU) mediated talks trying to bring peace to the western region of Sudan if the presidency of the body moved to Khartoum.

Khalil Ibrahim of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said the AU-mediated talks in Nigeria could not be impartial if the presidency of the pan-African body moved to President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s government in Sudan as scheduled next year.

JEM is one of two main Darfur rebel groups that took up arms against the Khartoum government in early 2003, accusing it of monopolising wealth and power. The Darfur conflict has forced some 2 million people from their homes to camps.

“The African Union is mediating the peace process in Abuja. Also, the AU has troops on the ground in Darfur. We cannot imagine that Omar al-Bashir will be the chairperson of this organisation,” Ibrahim told Reuters by telephone.

JEM has a number of other leaders who head different factions but the AU considers Khalil the head of the group and he represents it at the peace talks.

“If he (Bashir) becomes chairperson of the AU, the Movement (JEM) will pull out of the peace talks in Abuja because the AU becomes part of the problem itself and cannot solve the problem.”

AU spokesman Assane Ba said the AU summit was being held in January in Khartoum and it was normal practice that the host country assumes the AU presidency for the ensuing year.

The AU had no comment on the rebel threat because Ba said it had not been informed of their complaint.

A sixth round of Darfur peace talks adjourned last week until November. The talks were hindered by rebel disunity, violence in Darfur and worsening ties between the AU and Sudan.

(Reuters)