Darfur rebel leader says priority to civilians’ security not talks venue

February 10, 2008 (PARIS) — Darfur rebel leader has rejected Netherlands suggestion to host Darfur peace talks, saying the priority should be given to the creation of a conducive environment particularly through the observation of the ceasefire and the deployment of an active peacekeeping force.

The Dutch government would seriously consider hosting peace talks for Darfur if the request came from the African Union or the United Nations, Dutch Development minister Bert Koenders said on February 5 after meeting with a representative of one of the SLM groups in southern Sudan.

Abdel Wahid AL-Nur, the founder of the Sudan Liberation Movement told, Sudan Tribune, that Darfur crisis does not need more confusion because efforts should be focused at this stage on the deployment of the peacekeeping force and the establishment of conditions that can make possible the hold of successful negotiations.

Al-Nur who demands the implementation of what he calls “conflict suspension” before the hold of talks said that the mediation should not fix or choose any country as venue for the peace talks with Khartoum before the consultation and the approval of all the stakeholders.

“But at this stage we will not participate in any talks even if they decide to hold it in Jabel Marra” the rebel leader said.

Jebel Marra is the heartland of Sudan’s Fur people.

The rebel leader said we see attacks on civilians who are still fleeing the country since 2004 and we need international community to put pressures on Khartoum government to stop this insecurity and violence.

According to the UNHCR, some 12,000 people from Darfur region have crossed the border into neighbouring Chad after heavy bombardments and armed attacks by Sudanese forces and the Janjaweed militia last week.
Most Fur tribal chiefs follow rebel leader Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur, who is boycotting the U.N.-brokered peace talks until a planned U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force of 26,000 deploys in the region and proves effective in ending the bloodshed.

Darfur peace mediators had chosen Sirte in Libya as venue for the peace talks between the different parties in the conflict. Different rebel groups contested this choice because they were not consulted also they said Libya is not a neutral country.

The Dutch Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Maxim Verhagen, and Development Cooperation, Bert Koenders, were in an official visit to Sudan last week. Ahmed Abdel Shafi, leader of a SLM group based in Juba, demanded the visiting Dutch delegation to host the talks in their country.

(ST)