France renews residence permit of Darfur rebel leader

December 24, 2007 (PARIS) — The French government renewed the residence permit of a prominent Darfur rebel leader ending speculations about his imminent expulsion.

“The length of stay of Mr. Abdelwahid al-Nur has been extended by three months” the spokesman of the foreign ministry Pascale Andreani told reporters today.

The founder leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Abdelwahid al-Nur has been residing in Paris for over a year.

The French government granted al-Nur a residence permit that is renewed every three months.

Andreani said that al-Nur is supposed to “respond positively to invitations to participate in peace negotiations that would be addressed to him by the UN and the African Union”.

Earlier this month Sudan’s official news agency SUNA reported that French President Nicolas Sarkozy had given al-Nur a deadline to attend peace talks by the end of December or leave France.

Also an unidentified French diplomat told Reuters this month that France will probably force Al-Nur to leave the country by the end of the year.

(ST)