Darfur crisis discussed in four-way African summit

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, April 19 (AFP) — The leaders of Sudan, Egypt, Nigeria and Ethiopia discussed means of rekindling talks to end the Darfur conflict Tuesday on the sidelines of an African summit.

A newly arrived refugee family from the Sudan region of Darfur crosses into Chad in the direction of the improvised Tine three refugee camp. (AFP/file).

Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir, his Nigerian and Egyptian counterparts Olusegun Obasanjo and Hosni Mubarak, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi discussed means of restarting negotiations between Khartoum and the rebels, a source at the Egyptian presidency said.

They held their talks after the summit of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh and following a three-way meeting held earlier Tuesday without the Nigerian leader.

“The sharing of the Nile’s waters and the situation in Darfur were discussed during these talks,” a diplomatic source said after the meeting.

A delegation from the African Union, NEPAD’s mother institution, is due in Khartoum next week in a bid to mediate an end to the two-year-old conflict.

According to some estimates, more than 300,00 people have been killed and some two million displaced since an uprising by rebels complaining of Darfur’s economic marginalisation was repressed by the government and proxy militias.

The four leaders had also been expected to discuss the frosty relations between Sudan and neighbouring Chad, as well as the threat of a rebellion similar to Darfur’s brewing in Sudan’s eastern regions.

The United States has conditioned an aid package pledged at a donor conference in Norway earlier this month on Khartoum’s readiness to abide by international demands and strive to end the Darfur conflict.

NEPAD is an African initiative aimed at revitalising the country’s ailing economy by attracting private investors with progress in conflict-resolution and improved transparency.