Sudanese government and Darfur rebels set to hold talks in Ethiopia Thursday

KHARTOUM, July 14 (AFP) — The Sudanese government confirmed it would participate in African Union-sponsored negotiations with the two main rebel movements in the western region of Darfur due to open in the Ethiopian capital.

Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail told reporters Wednesday that no preconditions had been set for the talks.

“The meeting will be held in the Ethiopian capital tomorrow without any preconditions by any party …it is called by the African Union and is supported by the United Nations,” Ismail said.

The Sudanese government delegation will be led by Agriculture Minister Majzoub al-Khalifa Ahmed and will include the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Tigani Salih Fidhail, and Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Mohamed Yussef Abdullah.

The warring parties are under intense pressure from the international community to resolve the conflict in Darfur, which erupted in February last year after rebels of the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement took up arms against the government.

The rebels complained that that their region was neglected by successive regimes in Khartoum.

An estimated 10,000 people have died in the conflict, exacerbated by a reign of terror unleashed by the pro-government Arab Janjaweed militias against the black Africans in the region.

Hundreds of others are at risk of dying from starvation and more than 100,000 refugees have crossed into neighboring Chad as a result of the conflict, according to humanitarian agencies in Darfur