AU mediators meet Sudan officials ahead of key Darfur security talks

ABUJA, Sept 5 (AFP) — African Union mediators Sunday met officials of the Sudanese government ahead of crucial talks on the key issue of restoring security in the war-torn Darfur region.

The AU mediators were expected to hold a similar meeting with the two rebel groups — the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) — later on Sunday, after which a joint meeting between the two parties was expected.

On Saturday, the AU presented the government and two rebel groups its draft for an agreement on security, a crucial issue to resolving the crisis that has killed an estimated 50,000 people and forced another 1.4 million to flee their homes.

The talks were adjourned to Sunday because both parties asked for more time to study the proposals.

The head of the Sudanese government delegation to the talks, Agriculture Minister Majzoub al-Khalifa told AFP his side was ready for discussion on the security matter.

“We are ready to negotiate over the security issue. I think it is an important issue,” he said.

He said he hoped the AU-sponsored talks taking place in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, would be successful after the two parties have harmonised their positions.

“There will be a breakthrough but when, I don’t know. We went through the document and we are prepared for discussion,” he said.

So far the rebels have taken a hard line on security.

The talks on Darfur got off to a difficult start on August 25, with the two rebel groups refusing to demobilise their forces ahead of a comprehensive political settlement.

Rebel leaders have also said they oppose government proposals to pull back troops to designated camps, saying it will make them open targets for air attacks.

The rebel groups had until Saturday refused to discuss disarming their forces and demanded an international probe into alleged atrocities by government forces and Khartoum’s proxy militia, the Janjaweed.

After difficult discussion, the two sides reached agreement last Tuesday on how to ensure the safety of Darfur’s 1.2 million internally displaced people.

According to UN estimates, up to 50,000 people have died in Darfur since rebels rose up against the government in February last year, and about 1.4 million people have fled their homes, some 180,000 of them crossing the border into Chad.