Darfur rebels propose peackeepers in offer to Sudan

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

ABUJA, Nigeria, Aug 30, 2004 (AP) — Rebel groups proposed a new peace agreement at talks on Sunday aimed at restoring calm to Sudan ‘s Darfur region, calling for international peacekeepers and full access for aid groups to all of Darfur.

Nigerian and Libyan mediators, together with African Union representatives, will use the rebel proposals and earlier Sudanese government ones to draw up a compromise solution on Monday at talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja, delegates said.

“There is a big chance of an agreement” on how to solve Darfur’s humanitarian crisis, said Sudanese government delegate Najib Abdulwahab.

Like the rebels, Abdulwahab called for “unimpeded access of the international community to the needy people in all parts of Darfur” and respect of an ineffective April cease-fire agreement signed in Chad.

However, rebel delegates were less optimistic.

“It seems to me there is a big distance between what we think about solving the problem and what is presented by the Sudanese government,” said Ahmed Tugod Lissan, head of the delegation for the Justice and Equality Movement. “This indicates that the Sudanese government is not interested in solving the problem.”

A U.N. deadline for Sudan ‘s government to rein in the Janjaweed expires on Monday. The largely Arab militiamen are accused of raping and killing black African civilians, and the U.S. Congress and some aid groups say they are committing genocide.

The United Nations told rebels and government delegates earlier in the week that checkpoints erected by the Sudanese government and the Sudanese Liberation Army rebel group “prevent the smooth operation” of relief operations, according to documents seen by Associated Press.

It also said an estimated 500,000 refugees were still to be reached by aid organizations in rebel-held areas.

Meanwhile, the first report by the African Union’s cease-fire commission – presented Saturday – listed cease-fire violations by all parties to the conflict, but reserved particular criticism for the Sudanese government and camel-back Janjaweed militia it is accused of backing.

“The government of Sudan should be encouraged to decisively deal with the problem of the Janjaweed,” said the report.

The cease-fire violations detailed in the report include the “unwarranted and unprovoked” razing of Ehda village by Janjaweed on July 5, and a July 6 attack on Suleai village by Janjaweed in which “the attackers … in some cases, chained and burnt their victims alive.”

The Sudanese government has agreed to allow 300 AU troops into the Iraq-sized region to protect a team of AU observers monitoring the cease-fire, but it has resisted pressure to accept a larger force with a peacekeeping mandate, which would allow the soldiers to protect civilians.