Sudanese government, rebels, to meet in Switzerland for talks on Darfur conflict
GENEVA, May 28, 2004 (AP) — Sudan ‘s government and western rebels are set to meet for talks focusing on humanitarian aid to the conflict-ravaged Darfur region, a Swiss-based mediation organization said Friday.
The closed-door meeting, scheduled for June 3 in Geneva, will bring together Sudanese officials and representatives of two rebel groups – the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Army – as well as donor governments and U.N. aid agencies, said the Henry Dunant Center for Humanitarian Dialogue.
The independent center – named after the 19th Century founder of the Red Cross – works to resolve conflicts worldwide. It failed to bring both sides to the table in Switzerland in February, but helped broker a shaky cease-fire deal in April during talks in Chad, Sudan ‘s neighbor.
Thousands of people in Darfur are believed to have died since early 2003 when rebels began fighting for autonomy and greater state aid. The conflict has also displaced about 900,000 refugees in Darfur’s three states, and another 100,000 have fled into neighboring Chad.
The government has been criticized for supporting Arab militia accused of carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Darfur’s black African population. Sudanese authorities deny this.
Aid agencies have long complained that the government has barred access to the region, although authorities last week said they had eased restrictions.
U.N. humanitarian chief Jan Egeland said Wednesday that the number of people in acute need of food and medical help in Darfur has nearly doubled from 1.2 million to 2 million. The U.N. Security Council also put new pressure on the Sudanese government to end the conflict.
The U.N. refugee agency said Friday it was racing against the clock to help 125,000 Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad, as the looming rainy season threatens to block convoys moving them away from the volatile border region.
The agency also said it was concerned after a further cross-border incursion by militia from Sudan . The fighters, who were pushed back by Chadian forces Monday, appeared to be planning to rustle cattle, it said.
Arab militia also have looted livestock and destroyed farms during their campaign in Darfur.
The Darfur conflict has raged even as the government and rebels in a separate war in southern Sudan have edged toward peace.
On Wednesday, Sudanese officials and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army signed protocols on power-sharing and the administration of three disputed areas, and began to plan the final phase of talks to end their 21-year conflict, Africa’s longest.