Sudanese parties may sign accord on humanitarian crisis

ABUJA, Nigeria, Sep 1, 2004 (PANA) — Sudanese parties at peace talks in
Nigeria may sign an agreement on humanitarian issues arising from
the crisis in the Darfur region Wednesday, the eighth day of
parley to end 18 months of fighting between Khartoum and rebels
in the western part of the country.

Sources close to mediators at the talks told PANA in Abuja the
warring parties had concluded discussions on the issue, the first
item on a four-point agenda for the African Union-brokered peace
negotiations.

Also on the agenda are security and political, as well as
economic and social matters.

“All discussions were concluded (on the humanitarian issue)
yesterday (Tuesday), and suggested modifications accommodated. It
remains for the parties to sign the agreement as soon as clean
copies are produced,” the sources said.

Speaking after the Tuesday afternoon session, Mohammed Yusuf,
Sudan’s Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, said the
meeting recessed to enable the mediators produce a compromise
proposal on how to resolve the humanitarian issues in the Darfur
region.

“Hopefully when we come back later tonight (Tuesday night), we
will endorse the proposal,” Yusuf told journalists.

He expressed confidence that the compromise report would contain
the modifications “we have suggested.”

The Minister said the modifications suggested by his delegation
had to do with the issue of protection of civilians, adding: “We
think that should be the responsibility of Sudan’s government.”

Also speaking Tuesday, spokesman for the two rebel movements,
Ahmed Togodt, listed some of the modifications suggested by the
groups as having to do with the preamble to the document, access
and free movement of persons, protection of the civilians and the
general principle of the agreements.

“We are very hopeful that our suggestions will be reflected in
the final draft for consideration,” said Togodt, head of the
Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

If the agreement on the humanitarian issue is signed Wednesday,
it will give a boost to the talks, which had twice teetered on
the brink of collapse over the wording of the agenda as well as
alleged continuing attacks on civilians in Darfur by government
forces and the Janjaweed Arab militia.

Last week, the rebels threatened to abandon the talks over a
clause in the agenda that their forces would be disarmed ahead of
the expected resolution of the Darfur crisis.

They also staged a 24-hour walkout on the talks last Saturday to
protest the alleged killing of more than 75 civilians in Darfur
in fresh fighting they blamed on the government.

AU chairman and Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is
hosting the talks, has warned the government against further
attacks in Darfur, after quoting AU observers as confirming the
violation of April’s ceasefire between the parties.

The UN has described the Darfur situation as the worst
humanitarian crisis in the world, with over 30,000 killed and
about 1.5 million displaced internally and externally.

A UN Security Council deadline for the government to disarm the
Janjaweed, blamed for most of the Darfur atrocities, or face
sanctions, expired Monday.