Darfur rebels deplore US envoy plans to holding meeting in controlled area

October 6, 2009 (PARIS) — Darfur rebels condemned today the US special envoy to Sudan over a planned reunification conference for some rebel factions in a territory they control.

The US envoy Scott Gration who is seeking to play an active role in the reunification of Darfur rebel groups conducts an initiative to reunite the different factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM).

However his efforts do not include the legacy SLM faction led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur who rejects participation in the peace process before disarmament of government militias and return of displaced people to their homeland.

Gration plans to hold a meeting related to the unification of some groups in an area under SLM-Nur control at Drbat, said Abdel Rahman Nimir who reiterated their rejection to this gathering.

“We categorically reject this conference in our territory,” Nimir said.

Last September the rebel group sacked some rebel commanders who preferred to follow the US envoy in effort to reunite the Darfur rebels. The Al-Nur group said they were worried by Gration’s attempts to influence their commanders.

In a series of contacts with the SLM-Nur, Gration tried to convince the commanders to participate in a unity meeting before to join the peace process hosted in Doha, Qatar.

SLM AW rebels believe that US envoy is targeting their leader Al-Nur and works to replace him by another leader who would join the peace process.

“We call on President Obama to stop this wrongdoing of his envoy and to act seriously to prevent further interferences in the issues of our movement,” said Nimir.

The meeting, which is expected to take place in Darfur in the upcoming weeks, includes SLM-Unity, SLM Ahmed Abdel Shafi and five former commanders from SLM –AW. When the unity process is completed the SLM will negotiate with Idris Abu Garda of the United Resistance Front and other small groups that rejected the Libyan process.

(ST)