Sudanese govt and rebel meet in Chad to review ceasefire deal

N’DJAMENA, Chad, Apr 25, 2005 (AP) — The Sudanese government and a small rebel faction from Sudan’s conflict ridden western region of Darfur are meeting in eastern Chad to review a four-month old cease-fire deal, Chad’s security minister said Monday.

A displaced woman of the Darfur region of Sudan prepares mud bricks for her hut in July 2004 in the Abu Shouk displaced camp. (AFP).

In December, the Sudanese government signed a cease-fire deal with the National Movement for Reform and Development, a dissident faction of the second-largest rebel group in Darfur.

Under the deal, both sides agreed to release prisoners of war and civilians detained in the course of the conflict that began in February 2003. They also promised to let aid groups deliver relief to thousands of people affected by violence in parts of the western region

Chad is mediating the review meeting that began Monday and is taking place in the eastern town of Abeche near the Chad-Sudan border, said Chadian Security Minister Abderahmane Moussa.

He did not say how long the meeting will last.

The National Movement for Reform and Development broke away last year from the Justice and Equality Movement, reportedly accusing the latter of being more concerned with its political agenda than with the conditions in Darfur, Sudanese officials have said.

Darfur’s conflict has killed some 180,000 people, mainly from war-induced hunger and disease, according to U.N. estimates.