AU says Sudan launches new attacks on Darfuris
By Felix Onuah
ABUJA, Aug 30 (Reuters) – The African Union said on Monday its ceasefire monitors had confirmed Darfur rebel reports that the Sudanese government launched fresh attacks on civilians last week.
Nigerian President and African Union (AU) chairman Olusegun Obasanjo made the comments during a meeting with representatives of the rebels and the Sudanese government, who were holding talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja to try to end the conflict.
“The reported attacks by the government forces have been confirmed to me by the AU chairman of the ceasefire monitoring commission,” Obasanjo said, according to a full tape recording of his address to the two sides made available to Reuters.
His comments came as a United Nations deadline expired for Sudan to provide greater protection to refugees in Darfur or face possible sanctions.
The talks, which started last week, have foundered amid accusations of ceasefire violations from both sides. Rebels have already staged a 24-hour boycott of the talks in protest at the attacks, which they say killed 75 civilians in six villages.
Up to 50,000 people have died since the conflict began in February 2003 and more than a million have fled their homes for fear of attack by Arab militia known as Janjaweed, who rebels and rights groups say have been mobilised by the government as auxiliaries to help crush the rebels.
Khartoum says the attacks on Darfuris were carried out by “outlaws” and it is not responsible for their actions.
Obasanjo said he had written a letter to Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir asking him to ensure all attacks on civilians by government forces and the Janjaweed militia stop, to avoid undermining the peace talks.
The Sudanese government said Khartoum was already enforcing a ceasefire in Darfur.
“Actually the Sudanese government is enforcing the ceasefire agreement and does not need to be reminded to do so,” Sudanese government delegation leader Majzoub al-Khalifa said at the end of talks on Monday.
The talks were due to resume on Tuesday afternoon when rebels and the Sudan government delegations are set to weigh up an African Union report on the humanitarian situation in Darfur.
AU mediators had to advocate a new synopsis after rebels and the Sudan government failed to reach an agreement on Sunday night over what was a true representation of the situation.
Al-Khalifa said the United Nations would probably not advocate the use of sanctions against Sudan as his government had helped improve the situation on the ground, and talks were still in progress.
The African Union is mediating in the talks, hoping for a political solution to the crisis which escalated in 2003 after years of low-intensity fighting between mainly African farmers and Arab nomads over scarce resources in the vast province.
(Additional reporting by Tume Ahemba in Abuja)