Sudanese rebel leader in Egypt prior to new round of talks

CAIRO, Aug 13, 2003 (dpa) — Leader of the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM) John Gerang arrived in Cairo Wednesday to brief Egyptian officials on recent developments in the Sudanese conflict.

Gerang’s visit coincided with the resumption of a new round of negotiations between the rebel SPLM and representatives of the Sudanese government in Kenya.

The negotiations are being sponsored by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a grouping of mostly eastern and central African countries.

SPLM forces have fought successive regimes in Khartoum for the past two decades for greater autonomy for the mainly animist and Christian south from the Arab and Moslem north.