Peace in southern Sudan must herald overall deal: Darfur rebel leader
CAIRO, Dec 31 (AFP) — A peace deal due to be signed between southern Sudanese rebels and the Khartoum government is only a partial solution to the war-torn country’s problems, a rebel leader from the western Darfur province said Friday.
Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) leader Abdel Wahid Mohammed al-Nur said an accord expected to be signed Friday paving the way to an end to Africa’s longest-running conflict is only “a partial solution to Sudan’s problems”.
“We want an end to the marginalisation of all Sudan’s regions, because the Sudanese problem will not be resolved partially, but globally,” said Nur, leader of one of Darfur’s two main rebel groups.
The southern peace deal between Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) leader John Garang and Khartoum should “constitute a step towards the overall solution” of Sudan’s problems, Nur said, calling for a “national conference of all dissidents to build a new Sudan”.
The accords to be signed Friday in Kenya on two outstanding issues are expected to lead to the signing in January of a comprehensive peace deal for the south, but talks between Khartoum and Darfur rebels have floundered.
“An overall solution must be found to end the other conflicts in eastern Sudan, in Kordofan and in Darfur,” said Nur.
In the eastern part of the country, several small rebel groups have been also battling the Khartoum government since 1994, complaining of marginalisation.
In October, the government said a new rebel movement had emerged in the central Kordofan region, which lies between Darfur and Khartoum.
The conflict in Darfur flared in February 2003 when rebels from minority tribes launched a revolt against Khartoum, demanding an equal share of national development.
That conflict has so far claimed 70,000 lives and displaced 1.6 million people, amid rampant human rights violations.
The southern war has killed at least 1.5 million people and displaced four million others since it erupted in 1983.