Darfur rebels welcome Libyan role, criticize Sirte summit

KHARTOUM, Oct 20, 2004 (Al-Bayyan) — Khalil Ibrahim, the head of the Justice and Equality movement, a faction of the Darfur rebels, said he believed that the Libyan leader, Muammar Kadhafi, could find a solution to the Darfur crisis but at the same time he criticized the outcome of the Sirte summit, saying it was unjust and that all the countries which took part were not neutral, referring to the Chadian and Khartoum governments as they were both part of the conflict.

In a statement to the Khartoum based Al-Bayyan newspaper, Khalil Ibrahim said there were intentions of uniting his movement with the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement.

He welcomed Libyan leader Muammar Kadhafi’s efforts in bringing together all the parties and the leaders of the tribes that had been affected in Darfur. He said “Kadhafi is not a traditional leader but an intellectual and a researcher so he can play an important role in uniting everyone to find a solution”.

He further said “We welcome any African solution but with the help of capable international witnesses”.

He went on to say that non-foreign intervention would mean there would be no pressure on the Sudanese government so the summit has given the government another chance to practice ethnic cleansing.

Material from the BBC Monitoring Service