US charge of ‘genocide’ in Darfur complicates Sudan peace talks

ABUJA, Sept 13 (AFP) — Slow-moving African Union-brokered peace talks for Sudan’s Darfur region have been complicated by last week’s declaration by the United States that Khartoum and allied militia are committing genocide there.

“The American declaration was very destructive and it has created a very negative impact on the climate of the negociations,” said Sudan’s ambassador to Nigeria, Rahim Khalil, on Monday.

“The rebels are now more intransigent, more demanding. America should have respected the efforts of the AU, which is trying to find a solution to what is happening in Darfur,” he said.

The talks have made little progress since they began three weeks ago, bogging down first on what should be on the agenda and then again last week when the Khartoum delegation rejected AU proposals on re-establishing security in Darfur.

The region in western Sudan has been the theatre of civil war since February last year when black African rebels rose up against the government to demand an end to the political and economic marginalisation of the area.

Khartoum gave an Arab militia group, the Janjaweed, a free rein to crack down on the rebel groups. The ensuing violence has claimed some 50,000 lives and forced 1.4 million people from their homes, according to the United Nations.

Peace talks held in April in the Chadian capital Ndjamena brought a ceasefire, which both sides accuse the other of repeatedly violating.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday told a Senate hearing that evidence compiled by the United States led to the conclusion that genocide had been committed in Darfur.

He said the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed militia bore responsibility and that “genocide may still be occurring”.

Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry late Saturday used the same word, saying the United States and UN Security Council must “decide whether to take action to halt the killing in Darfur or remain idle in the face of the second African genocide in 10 years”.

Washington is trying to get the UN Security Council to pass a new resolution to stop the violence, but has come up against resistance from, among others, permanent, veto-wielding members China and Russia.

The two rebel groups in Darfur — the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) — have called Powell’s indictment “a welcome development.”

“This has been our position all along, that the Sudanese government and its militia, the Janjaweed, have continued to kill innocent civilians in Darfur,” spokesman for the SLM, Abdelhafiz Mustafa Musa, told AFP on Thursday.

“The verdict has debunked the lies, the insincerity of the Sudanese government to the peace process,” he said.

“They can no longer take the world for a ride. For us in the rebel movements, it shows that we have been fighting a legitimate cause on behalf of our people,” Musa added.

JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussain Adam said the United Nations should punish the perpetrators of the genocide.

“Genocide is a crime against humanity according to UN conventions to which Sudan is a signatory. The law must apply and the Sudanese government and its proxy the Janjaweed must be disarmed and punished,” he said.

An international observer at the Abuja talks said the US declaration had complicated the talks and dimmed hopes for an imminent solution to the Darfur crisis.

“After the American declaration, naturally the rebels were happy, while the government immediately contested” the accusation of genocide, he told AFP.

“The AU regrets that, while this US position suits the rebels, it does not, unfortunately, move the negotiations forward because, with the rebels feeling bolstered, they are likely to camp on their position.

“Both sides have certain issues they don’t want to let go,” he added.

On Monday, SLM spokesman Abduljabbar Dofa said: “We feel that we are progressing and coming closer to achieving our goals, but these declarations should be followed up by action (…) to show to the Sudanese government that the international community is strong.”

The peace talks were adjourned last week to allow both sides to “consult” with AU mediators on the issues over which the negotiations had deadlocked.

“Sunday night we had a meeting with the special envoy (former Nigerian military ruler General Abdusalami Abubakar) regarding our differences. We exchanged views but so far we are still far from each other’s,” said Dofa.

“The AU secretariat said (Sunday) that maybe the government of Sudan will accept some points we raised if we accept some of their points,” he said.

The talks are due to resume Tuesday.