Sudanese president to attend African mini-summit over Darfur issue

KHARTOUM, Feb 13, 2005 (Xinhua) — Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir will participate in an African mini-summit due on Wednesday in the Chadian capital Ndjamena to discuss the Darfur issue.

Sudanese displaced people wait to receive food supplies from the World Food Programme. (AFP).

Sudanese Minister of State in the Foreign Ministry Tijani Salih Fideil told reporters Sunday that Sudan would welcome any effort from Chad or other African countries to find an urgent solution to the Darfur conflict.

He added the participation of the Sudanese president at the summit “comes within the framework of the president’s personal concern to maintain peace in Darfur and all over Sudan.”

Fideil highlighted Sudan’s keenness to push forward efforts to realize peace in the country, stressing the government would do its utmost to find a solution to the Darfur dispute.

He also called on the international community to take responsibility to fulfill its commitment to the African Union (AU) and to increase logistic and materialistic support for AU to help it perform its required role in the crisis.

The mini-summit would bring together the Sudanese president, Chadian President Idriss Deby, AU Commissioner Alfa Aumar Konare and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the current AU president.

Violence flared up in February 2003 between local farmers and militia in Sudan’s western region of Darfur over scarce natural resources.

Many people were killed and more displaced during the clashes.