Sudan govt, Darfur rebels disagree on no-fly zone
ABUJA, Nov 4 (Reuters) – Peace talks between the Sudanese government and Darfur rebels stalled on Thursday over a rebel demand that the government establish a no-fly zone over Darfur and disarm Arab militias.
A meeting with African Union Chairman and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo failed to produce a compromise, a rebel leader said.
The slow-moving talks aimed at ending a 22-month-old conflict the United Nations has called one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises have been marred by mutual accusations of ceasefire violations and squabbling over security issues.
Rebel leaders say they are still unwilling to sign a humanitarian deal forged in a previous round of talks unless the government commits to a no-fly zone over Darfur and disarms the Arab Janjaweed militias, accused of attacking civilians.
“The two rebel groups and government met President Obasanjo, who raised only one issue — the issue of refraining from conducting any military flights in and over Darfur,” said rebel negotiator Ahmed Mohammed Tugod, of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
“The government insisted it was not going to accept this, and we insisted we were not going to leave this out,” he added.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail said this week Sudan would not accept a no-fly zone over Darfur.
“Security in Darfur is the responsibility of the Sudanese government firstly,” he said, adding the government would not be able to take responsbility for the security situation in Darfur, the size of France, if its planes and helicopters were grounded.
U.N. officials have said it had received as yet unconfirmed reports that government planes had bombarded areas in North Darfur state in the past two weeks. But, it said, the African Union had to investigate the reports.
African Union mediators have urged both Khartoum and the rebels to cooperate with an AU ceasefire commission and say where their forces are located — something the rebels have been reluctant to accept.
The U.N. envoy to Darfur said the region was heading into anarchy and the United Nations would be blamed if the Security Council did not take action. The council meets on Nov. 18.
(Additional reporting by Opheera McDoom in Khartoum)