Key Darfur rebel group confirm boycott of Arusha talks

July 24, 2007 (LONDON) — A key Darfur rebel group leader said Tuesday that he refuses to attend a meeting organized by the African Union and the United Nations envoy to find out common ground among Darfur rebel groups.

Abdelwahid al-Nur, leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), told Sudan Tribune that his group has decided not to participate in the Arusha meeting saying that the international community needs to provide security for civilians in Darfur.

“We cannot go to the talks while Khartoum continues to kill our people on the ground” Al-Nur added.

The African Union (AU) and the UN envoys for Darfur, Salim Ahmed Salim and Jan Eliasson, have sent out invitations to the leading personalities of non-signatory movements to the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) for the meeting that will be held in Arusha, Tanzania during the first week of August.

“Discussions will focus on the key role to be played by the Sudanese parties concerned in ensuring a speedy, negotiated and sustainable settlement of the Darfur conflict, including the format and venue of and participation in the negotiations” the two envoys said in a joint statement from Khartoum.

Al-Nur said that the decision to boycott the Arusha talks was taken after intensive consultations with the field commanders in Darfur.

“We are not warlords, we want peace but we want security for our people who are suffering in Darfur as we speak.” he said.

Al-Nur was referring to the latest UN report which speaks of aerial bombardments by Sudan’s air force in North Darfur up to late June. The report estimated that around 25,000 people fled their homes during the months of May and June.

However Andrew Natsios, US Special Envoy for Sudan, told reporters today that groups who do not attend the Arusha talks will be considered “obstructionists” by the Bush administration.

According to UN estimates, at least 200,000 people have died from the combined effect of war and famine since the conflict in the western Sudanese region of Darfur erupted in February 2003.

(ST)