Sudan government absent from opening of talks with rebels

NDJAMENA, March 30 (AFP) — A Sudanese government delegation refused to take part in the opening ceremony of negotiations with rebels from the western Darfur region aimed at ending a year-long conflict.

A diplomat said the delegation objected to the presence of international observers at the talks.

However Chadian President Idriss Deby, under whose auspices the negotiations are being held, said in opening the talks that formal discussions would go ahead on Wednesday at 8:00 am (0700 GMT).

The Darfur unrest erupted in February 2003 between the government and rebels, who complain their region is marginalised. More than 10,000 people have been killed in the fighting, and an estimated 670,000 have been forced from their homes, many seeking refuge in neighbouring Chad.