Rebels from Sudan’s Darfur and African Union to meet in Geneva: organisers

GENEVA, July 20 (AFP) — Rebel groups from Sudan’s strife-torn western Darfur region will hold a meeting with the African Union in the Swiss city of Geneva on Thursday to discuss their participation in peace talks with the Sudanese government, the organisers said here.

The United Nations and Chad will also take part in the meeting with the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), a spokesman for the organisers, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, told AFP on Tuesday.

“On Thursday, we are holding a meeting… for the rebels to talk about the modalities for their future participation in talks on Darfur,” spokesman Andy Andrea said.

The two rebel groups on Sunday left the Ethiopian capital after African Union mediators failed to convince them to start direct talks with the Sudanese government.

But officials said on Monday that the African Union (AU) will this week announce a renewed attempt to bring Khartoum and two rebel groups back to the negotiating table.

“This is in support of those peace talks,” Andrea said.

The Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue has hosted and chaired informal meetings on Darfur between the rebels and aid agencies earlier this year.