|
Negotiators open Darfur peace talks
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-12-12 10:48 Negotiators from groups
battling in Sudan's Darfur region opened their latest round of peace talks on
Saturday, with African mediators imploring the government and rebels to resolve
their differences through talks.
Peace negotiations have failed to stop nearly two years of fighting in
Sudan's western region that has killed tens of thousands and left nearly 2
million homeless.
African Union officials have said that attacks continued this week.
"War will not resolve the problems of Darfur," Sam Ibok, a top mediator
of African Union, told delegates. "It's not just a military problem, it's a
problem that can be resolved by political means."
Representatives from Darfur's
two main rebel groups and Sudan's government are attending the talks, which were
promptly adjourned Saturday and expected to continue Sunday.
Early work will focus on reviewing past interim agreements, with power
and wealth sharing and disarmament among the final goals for peace, said Ibok.
An earlier round of talks in November produced accords on humanitarian
access to the estimated 1.8 million war-displaced in Darfur and in neighboring
Chad, bringing new pledges of an end to hostilities.
Fighting restarted almost immediately after the Nov. 9 accords signed in
Abuja and aid groups accused the Sudanese air force of bombing towns. The
government denied this and the United Nations said it could not confirm the
airstrikes.
Rebel delegates said Saturday government air strikes would hinder the
talks.
"According to the agreements we've signed, the government should refrain
from military overflights in Darfur, but in the past two weeks we've been under
constant bombardment and this will affect the talks," said Mohammed Tugod
Lissan, of the Justice and Equality Movement.
Disease and famine have killed 70,000 in Darfur since March, the World
Health Organization says. There is no official reckoning of the overall toll of
the war, which sparked in February 2003 when two non-Arab African rebel groups
took up arms to fight for more power and resources.
The Sudanese government responded by backing a militia known as the
Janjaweed, which are now accused of targeting civilians in a campaign of murder,
rape and arson.
Nigeria is the current head of the 52-nation African Union.
A promised 3,000-member African Union peace deployment for Darfur has
managed to put only about 800 soldiers and 100 observers in the field. The
United Nations calls the situation in Darfur the world's gravest humanitarian
crisis.
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
Today's
Top News |
|
|
|
Top World
News |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
