Darfur rebels resume discussions with Sudan government

NDJAMENA, Oct 29 (AFP) — Rebels from Sudan’s western Darfur region have resumed discussions in Chad with officials of the Khartoum government to build on a ceasefire signed September 3, diplomats said Wednesday.

The talks that began Tuesday in Abeche in eastern Chad, some 300 kilometers (180 miles) from the Sudanese border, come amid allegations from both sides of ceasefire violations.

Violent clashes raged two weeks ago between rebels of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and government forces in Kulbus, a town described by the daily Le Progres as “in the hands of the Darfur rebels.”

The new violence has sparked fears in Chad of a renewed influx of Sudanese refugees.

The Darfur rebellion, launched in February to protest economic neglect of the semi-desert region by the Khartoum government, has left some 3,000 dead so far this year, according to UN estimates.

Another 400,000 have been displaced by the conflict.