Two Darfur rebel factions agree to merge by July

June 2, 2008 (LONDON) — Two rebel factions pledged in an agreement sponsored by the Libyan government to merge their movements in one group by the end of the next July.

The Sudan Liberation Movement-Unity Command led by Abdelalla Yahya Ahmed and the United Resistance Front (URF) led by Bahar Idriss Abu Garda agreed on June 1 in the Libyan capital Tripoli to unite their two groups within one month.

Libyan minister for African Affairs, Ali Abdelsalam Triki attended the signing ceremony.

Mahgoub Hussein the SLM-Unity spokesperson said “the parties stressed the need for full unity of action in order to end the suffering of refugees, IDPs, and achieve a just peace that addresses the root causes of the problem as well as to realise the aspirations of Darfuri.”

The SLM-Unity is mainly composed of former commanders and politicians who worked with the current Senior Presidential Advisor Minni Minawi who signed the Darfur Peace Agreement with the Sudanese government in May 2006.

The United Front for the Resistance is a breakaway group form the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) it was formerly called JEM Collective-Leadership.

The talks between the two factions had started since last year but JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim, who had a political agreement with SLM-Unity before Sirte talks las October, was opposed to such rapprochement with his former leading commander Abu Garda.

(ST)