Sudan criticizes Eritrea attendance of east rebels conference

KHARTOUM, Mar 30, 2005 (Sudan Tribune) — The ruling National Congress (NC) party has criticized the Eritrean government’s participation in the Eastern Front conference in Hamashkoreb that began two days ago.

The conference is also attended by a large number of eastern sectors rebels in addition to the leader of Darfur’s Justice and Equality Movement, Khalil Ibrahim, and the leader of Darfur’s Sudan Liberation Movement, Abdelwahid Mohamed Nur.

The NC secretary-general, Ibrahim Ahmad Omar, said the participation “showed some of the inappropriate behaviour by a number of neighbouring states, particularly Eritrea”, the Khartoum based Al-Ayam reported.

The rebels of the Eastern Front accused the regime of Khartoum, which had promised to begin peace negotiations, of “playing for time”.

“The government only wants to gain time and I do not think there will be any peace negotiations,” one of the Beja Congress leaders, Salah Bargayn, said.

Two eastern Sudanese rebel groups, the Beja Congress and the Free Lions, have merged to form a new party called the Eastern Front, officials from the organizations announced at a news conference in the Eritrean capital on Wednesday, February 23, 2005.