Darfur rebels not aware of talks

CAIRO – Rebels from Sudan’s troubled Darfur region said yesterday they had not been informed of peace talks due to be held in Nigeria at the end of the month, but welcomed the choice of venue and mediation.

The African Union (AU) said on Sunday both the rebels and the government had agreed to talks mediated by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abuja on Aug. 23 to find a political solution to end a rebellion launched in remote Darfur by two rebel groups in February last year.The United Nations says the conflict has claimed about 50,000 lives and displaced more than one million, triggering the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.Both the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) told Reuters on Tuesday they had told the AU they wanted to participate in deciding the time and place of negotiations, but had not been consulted.Both groups also said they had not set any conditions for talks.”Until now no one consulted us or discussed with us about the venue or the time so we cannot say we are going to attend.We have to participate to decide where,” JEM spokesman Idriss Ibrahim said from Asmara.”Generally we have no objections to Nigeria because it was we who suggested Nigeria originally,” he added.But he complained that correct procedure had not been followed in arranging the talks.SLA spokesman Mohamed Mursal also said the groups had received no official invitation to talks from the AU, although the group’s political leader had previously said the movement would attend.”We do not have any opposition to the country itself … of Nigeria as a place of negotiations.But we did not choose the place,” Mursal added from Asmara.Mursal said the SLA was ready to talk and denied the group had set preconditions of disarmament of marauding Arab militias and an inquiry into genocide charges.- Nampa-Reuters23 to find a political solution to end a rebellion launched in remote Darfur by two rebel groups in February last year.The United Nations says the conflict has claimed about 50,000 lives and displaced more than one million, triggering the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.Both the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) told Reuters on Tuesday they had told the AU they wanted to participate in deciding the time and place of negotiations, but had not been consulted.Both groups also said they had not set any conditions for talks.”Until now no one consulted us or discussed with us about the venue or the time so we cannot say we are going to attend.We have to participate to decide where,” JEM spokesman Idriss Ibrahim said from Asmara.”Generally we have no objections to Nigeria because it was we who suggested Nigeria originally,” he added.But he complained that correct procedure had not been followed in arranging the talks.SLA spokesman Mohamed Mursal also said the groups had received no official invitation to talks from the AU, although the group’s political leader had previously said the movement would attend.”We do not have any opposition to the country itself … of Nigeria as a place of negotiations.But we did not choose the place,” Mursal added from Asmara.Mursal said the SLA was ready to talk and denied the group had set preconditions of disarmament of marauding Arab militias and an inquiry into genocide charges.- Nampa-Reuters