US, Britain press rebels to accept Darfur peace deal

ABUJA – US and other international mediators battled yesterday to strongarm Darfur’s rebel leaders into accepting a peace deal to end three years of slaughter in their devastated region in western Sudan.US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick and British International Development Secretary Hilary Benn added their weight to African Union peace talks after the warring parties failed to meet a deadline for an accord.

The Khartoum government has signalled it supports the proposed text. But Darfur’s two rebel movements holding out for more guarantees on regional autonomy and jobs in the national army, at the risk of provoking international disapproval.”Consultations are continuing this morning on how to close the gap between the Khartoum government and the movements,” said Zoellick’s spokesman Richard Mills, as talks resumed.Mediation efforts had continued late into the night on Wednesday.”We are working with the other international partners, including the British government,” he added.Asked whether he was optimistic that a deal would be reached by midnight, the latest deadline, he said: “We are persistent.”A senior member of the AU mediation team, Chris Garuba, said: “We are hopeful and expectant that the deal will be signed today.”Darfur, an arid desert region as large as France, erupted into civil war in early 2003, when the SLA and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) started fighting the Khartoum government for autonomy for their region.The pro-government Janjaweed militia launched a brutal counter-attack.The conflict has since cost between 180 000 and 300 000 lives and driven more than 2,4 million people from their homes.United Nations aid agencies say the fighting has caused the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis” and Washington has accused the Sudanese government of genocide.For the past year, AU diplomats have been trying to cajole a peace deal from the warring parties at talks in Abuja, Nigeria.On Sunday they issued a draft peace plan and an ultimatum: sign by midnight or face isolation.The rebels held out and a second deadline was missed on Tuesday.Now Zoellick’s team has modified the AU document in the hope of getting a deal.But SLA spokesman Seif Haroun said the changes had not gone far enough and the rebels would insist that Darfur – currently spanning three states within the Sudanese federation – became a single autonomous region.- Nampa-AFPBut Darfur’s two rebel movements holding out for more guarantees on regional autonomy and jobs in the national army, at the risk of provoking international disapproval.”Consultations are continuing this morning on how to close the gap between the Khartoum government and the movements,” said Zoellick’s spokesman Richard Mills, as talks resumed.Mediation efforts had continued late into the night on Wednesday.”We are working with the other international partners, including the British government,” he added.Asked whether he was optimistic that a deal would be reached by midnight, the latest deadline, he said: “We are persistent.”A senior member of the AU mediation team, Chris Garuba, said: “We are hopeful and expectant that the deal will be signed today.”Darfur, an arid desert region as large as France, erupted into civil war in early 2003, when the SLA and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) started fighting the Khartoum government for autonomy for their region.The pro-government Janjaweed militia launched a brutal counter-attack.The conflict has since cost between 180 000 and 300 000 lives and driven more than 2,4 million people from their homes.United Nations aid agencies say the fighting has caused the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis” and Washington has accused the Sudanese government of genocide.For the past year, AU diplomats have been trying to cajole a peace deal from the warring parties at talks in Abuja, Nigeria.On Sunday they issued a draft peace plan and an ultimatum: sign by midnight or face isolation.The rebels held out and a second deadline was missed on Tuesday.Now Zoellick’s team has modified the AU document in the hope of getting a deal.But SLA spokesman Seif Haroun said the changes had not gone far enough and the rebels would insist that Darfur – currently spanning three states within the Sudanese federation – became a single autonomous region.- Nampa-AFP