US envoy says Darfur ceasefire commission ‘collapsing’
September 13, 2007 (BRUSSELS) -– A senior US official yesterday called for the establishment a new ceasefire commission in Darfur to monitor ceasefire violations, underlining that the current ceasefire commission is collapsing .
The Sudanese government and rebel groups signed a ceasefire agreement in 2004 in N’Djamena (Chad) which called for the establishment of the ceasefire commission and deployment of observers in the Darfur.
However fighting between the rebels and the Sudanese army has escalated ever since and as recent as this week. There were reports of aerial bombardment by the Sudanese government aircraft bombed the rebel-held Haskanita town in northern Darfur on Monday amid fierce fighting between the two sides.
Natsios hinted that the surge in fighting could jeopardize the upcoming peace talks in Libya between the rebel groups and the Khartoum government.
“There is a general agreement that there needs to be a ceasefire in Darfur if we are going to have peace negotiations” the US envoy said.
Abdelwahid al-Nur, influential leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), has already rejected Tripoli talks saying that security has to be established on the ground for negotiations to succeed.
The statements by Natsios could signal an attempt by the US administration to lower expectations for the Tripoli peace talks given the deteriorating security situation in Darfur.
“If people sit down and there are more incidents happen people will walk out from the meetings on both sides and that won’t be helpful” Natsios added.
More than 200 000 people have been killed and some 2.5 million displaced in the four-year conflict in Darfur, an area the size of France.
(ST)