Sudan won’t go to peace talks with Darfur rebels
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 11, 2004 (AP) — The Sudanese government canceled plans to attend scheduled peace talks in Geneva next week with western rebels, officials said Wednesday, just days after the president proclaimed military victory in the insurgency.
On Monday, President Omar el-Bashir said the military was “in full control” of the troubled Darfur province in western Sudan and offered amnesty to surrendering rebels. The army recently has announced several successes over the rebel groups in fighting near the border with Chad.
Peace talks between the government and two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement, were scheduled to begin Feb. 14 in Geneva under the mediation of the Henry Dunant Center for Humanitarian Dialogue.
Zakaria Mohammed Ali, secretary-general of the Justice and Equality Movement, said the government refused to attend the talks because it wants to pursue a military solution to the conflict in impoverished Darfur.
“We were willing to go, but the government does not want to come,” Ali said from Germany. “Now that the government is strong militarily, they do not want talks with the rebels.”
Dunant Center spokesman Andy Andrea confirmed that the talks will not take place.
“Unfortunately, the Government of Sudan declined our invitation to attend when we met with senior representatives in Khartoum on Sunday,” he said. “We remain in close contact with all the parties while considering the next steps.”
Sudanese presidential spokesman Abbas Ibrahim al-Nour said Tuesday the government of President Omar el-Bashir wanted the peace talks held in Sudan.
“We have said we are for holding a national conference here to discuss the problem of Darfur, and we have said we are committed to removing any hurdle in front of those wishing to participate – including those who carry arms,” al-Nour said.
A day earlier, el-Bashir announced that major military operations were over in Darfur, adding that government forces were in “full control.”
Ali dismissed el-Bashir’s claim of “full control” in Darfur as a lie, saying rebels still were fighting in its west and north. He said government forces and allied Arab militia recaptured the border town of Tine on Feb. 1, but he said it was not of importance to the rebels.
“We will teach them a lesson that we are still alive,” Ali said. “Just now there is a really big battle in Darfur.”
No other details were immediately available.
The insurgents say they are fighting for an equal share of the nation’s wealth and greater political representation. Fighting in the yearlong rebellion has killed hundreds of people.
Aid agencies estimate the fighting has forced more than 600,000 people to flee their homes. About 100,000 people have fled into neighboring Chad.
On Sunday, Chadian Foreign Minister Nagoum Yamassoum appealed for international assistance to help his government handle the refugees.
The rebels and refugees accuse the government of bombing villages and using mounted militias to loot towns and villages. The government denies those claims.
The rebellion has intensified as talks between the government and southern rebels fighting a separate 21-year civil war inch toward conclusion. The talks are set to resume in Kenya on Feb. 17.
Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Charles Snyder met Sudanese government officials on Wednesday in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, to discuss the peace process and the Darfur conflict.
Aid workers have complained about not being having access to the region, but Sudanese State Minister for Humanitarian Affairs Mohammed Youssef Moussa said the American delegation will be allowed to visit Darfur and displaced persons’ camps.
“We assured the American delegation that we have now opened a number of safe routes for the delivery of relief and humanitarian assistance” in Darfur, Moussa said.