Blair sets deadline for peace deal in Sudan

By Christopher Adams

KHARTOUM, Oct 7, 2004 (Financial Times) — Tony Blair, Britain’s prime minister, on Wednesday gave the Sudanese government until the end of the year to strike a peace deal to end the civil war between the north and the south that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

British PM Tony Blair in Khartoum Wednesday, Oct 6, 2004 speaks to reporters at the residence of the British ambassador to the Sudan.

On a visit to Khartoum, before leaving for Ethiopia for a summit with African leaders, Mr Blair met Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan’s president, for talks on the violence in Darfur, in the west of Sudan. Fighting there between Arab militia fighters and rebel forces, as well as hunger and disease, has cost more than 50,000 lives.

The prime minister told Mr Bashir that Sudan must reach a peace agreement between north and south and that such a settlement would benefit the Darfur region too.

Talks between the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and Khartoum to end the southern civil war are due to resume in Kenya on Thursday.

Mr Blair delivered five demands to Mr Bashir, though there was little evidence after the talks that these would be met in full. The demands amounted to compliance with United Nations’ resolutions demanding steps from the government to protect refugees from Darfur and rein in the Janjaweed militia.

They included the expansion of an African Union monitoring force, identifying the location of government troops and militia controlled by Khartoum to help a ceasefire with rebel forces, negotiation with the rebels so that both sides return to their barracks, and access for relief workers.

Mr Blair left the president in no doubt that lack of progress on Darfur could lead to sanctions. The US, which has accused the Sudanese government and allied Janjaweed militia of committing genocide against African tribes, is expected to increase pressure on Khartoum after the America presidential elections in November.

The Sudanese government should also “commit to reach a comprehensive agreement, north and south, in Sudan by the end of the year,” Mr Blair said. “That will have a positive impact in Darfur itself.”

Khartoum said that it had ordered the army and police to comply with ceasefire terms in Darfur, but this had exposed them to rebel attacks. It agreed to more AU monitors and said they could help build civilian confidence, and monitor rebel areas and routes for relief convoys.

The government agreed to ease the repatriation of refugees and said it had told the AU where its forces were.