AU in desperate move to save peace talks on Darfur crisis after rebels’ boycott

ABUJA, Dec 14 (AFP) — The African Union (AU) was in a desperate move to put back on track peace negotiations on the crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur stalled by the withdrawal of rebel delegations, mediators said.

Displaced Sudanese people collect water in the Abu Shouk camp on the outskirts of the northern Darfur town of El-Fasher. (AFP) .

Representatives of the two main armed opposition groups — the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) — late Monday withdrew from the AU-sponsored talks in Abuja accusing the Khartoum government of planning a massive offensive in the violence-ridden region.

The rebels and the Khartoum government have often accused each other of violating previous ceasefire and peace accords.

The AU Ceasefire Commission confirmed at the first plenary session of this third round of talks on Monday here that the ceasefire violations, committed by all the parties, rose from 13 cases last September to 52 between October and early December.

AU mediators were Tuesday holding separate meetings with African international “partners” in the talks, including the United Nations, the European Union and League of Arab States with the aim of pressuring the opposition teams to return to the roundtable, AU spokesman Assane Ba said.

“We are looking with the partners on what next step to take”, said Ba.

The AU team, which also met with the Sudanese government delegation, hopes to meet the SLM at 4.30 pm (15:30 GMT) and JEM later in the day, he also said.

The continental organisation expressed the hope that the current efforts would help convince the rebels to return to the roundtable and put back on track the threatened talks.

In N’Djamena Tuesday talks between Sudan’s government and a rebel group from the strife-wracked Darfur region began, with Chad mediating.

Chad’s Foreign Minister Nagoum Yamasoum said the aim of negotiations between Khartoum’s delegates and those of the National Movement for Reconstruction and Development (NMRD) was to help with peace talks already in hand for Darfur in Nigeria.

The NMRD has recently appeared on the scene in Darfur, as a dissident wing of the rebel JEM.

AU mediators refused to grant recognition to NMRD delegates who spent weeks in an Abuja hotel between August and September while the talks were being held.

An informed source in N’Djamena said that the JEM and SLM have so far refused to let the NMRD take part in their negotiations with Khartoum in Abuja.

Two Sudanese working for British charity Save the Children were killed when their convoy came under fire in war-torn South Darfur state, the United Nations said on Monday in a statement.

The killings have seen UN humanitarian operations in the state suspended.

Medical assistant Abbaker al-Tayeb and mechanic Yacoub Abdelnabi Ahmed died on Sunday when their convoy of clearly marked humanitarian vehicles came under fire, the statement said.

Sunday’s killings were the second fatal incident suffered by Save the Children staff in two months.

The suspended Abuja talks are aimed at resolving a conflict which is estimated to have killed 70,000 people and driven more than a million from their homes since rebels rose up against the government in February 2003.

Rebels in Darfur rose up against Khartoum 22 months ago, accusing the Arab-led government of marginalising Darfur’s mainly black African population and demanding political autonomy and a greater share of Sudan’s oil wealth.