Peace talks to end western rebellion in Sudan open in neighboring Chad
N’DJAMENA, Chad, April 21, 2004 (AP) — Officials from the Sudanese government and two rebel groups fighting in western Sudan met in Chad on Wednesday to discuss a peaceful end to a rebellion in the Darfur region that has killed thousands of people and left hundreds of thousands homeless.
A ceremony officially launching the talks was held Tuesday night, but substantive talks started on Wednesday, with mediators from Chad and the African Union participating. Representatives from the two main rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement, insisted on foreign diplomats also attending the talks.
The two groups launched their rebellion last year to demand greater autonomy, but fighting has intensified in the last three months after a government-backed militia began what refugees have described as a scorched earth campaign.
The U.N. and human rights groups have reported widespread atrocities in Darfur, an area the size of California that is home to a fifth of Sudan ‘s 30 million people. Government officials have denied the allegations that their militia was involved.
A fact-finding team from the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights left Geneva late Tuesday for Sudan . The Sudanese state minister at the foreign ministry, Najeeb al-Khair, told the Associated Press in Khartoum on Wednesday that “all the doors of Sudan , and particularly the three regions of Darfur, are open before the mission.”
A 45-day cease-fire was signed April 8 to allow U.N. and humanitarian agencies access to the region, but so far the government has allowed only a handful of aid workers into the area and have banned journalists.
The peace talks in neighboring Chad were intended to build on the successful signing of the cease-fire.
“An important step has been reached and we are not going to leave Chad without a definite and global peace agreement to the problems of Darfur,” said Badour el-Sherif, the head of the Sudanese government delegation.
A spokesman for both rebel groups, Ali Adam, said that the cease-fire was still fragile and demanded a review of the previous agreement. The rebels want a monitoring committee set up to review accusations from both sides that the cease-fire has been violated.
The cease-fire expires June 2, but can be renewed if more time is needed to reach a final peace agreement.
The West Darfur government announced on Wednesday the release of all political detainees in the state, the main area where most of the rebel-militia fighting has taken place, saying it was implementing the cease-fire agreement.