UN-AU joint mediation team comes under fierce criticism from Sudan
April 28, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese government today lashed out at the joint United Nations (UN) – African Union (AU) mediation team led by Jan Eliasson and Salem Ahmed Salem.
Sudan as well as many western diplomats have grown frustrated with the mediation team for lack of progress on the political track but have refrained from making public criticisms of Salem and Eliasson.
Some reports have indicated that there are plans to bring on a single mediator to lead the UN-AU team. Among the names that were believed to be candidates is the veteran Algerian diplomat Mohamed Sahnoun.
Rahma said that there are “fundamental” prerequisites for negotiations including stopping divisions with the rebel groups and bringing the latter under a unified negotiating position.
He added that Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur, leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) “is in the same position” while Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) insist on being the only Darfur group present at the peace talks.
However Rahma stressed that the government is prepared to negotiate “anytime the factors leading to a successful negotiations are available”.
Last October, UN-and AU-mediated talks on Darfur in the Libyan city of Sirte aimed at convincing key rebel leaders to join the peace talks quickly collapsed after JEM and SLM main groups led by Dr. Khalil Ibrahim and Al-Nur boycotted the event.
UN and AU mediators have so far failed to bring the rival sides back to the negotiating table.
At least 300,000 people have died from the combined effects of war, famine and diseases and more than two million have fled their homes in Darfur since the ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Sudan’s Arab-dominated regime in February 2003.
(ST)