Sudan and Rebels Suspend Peace Talks, as Aid Group Withdraws

[Zhukov]

Sudan and Rebels Suspend Peace Talks, as Aid Group Withdraws
By REUTERS

Published: December 22, 2004


BUJA, Nigeria, Dec. 21 - Sudan's government and Darfur rebels suspended faltering peace talks on Tuesday and the African Union urged both sides to stop fighting to allow negotiations to resume in January.

The breakup of peace talks in Nigeria came as the British-based aid agency Save the Children UK announced it was pulling all 350 of its staff members from Darfur, after the killing of four of its workers and renewed clashes in western Sudan.

President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, who is also chairman of the African Union, met with both sides to urge them to halt their military offensives.

"The talks will be formally closed today to resume sometime in January if the Sudan government complies with the AU chairman's request for them to stop the offensive and withdraw their troops to their former positions," said Tajeddin Bashir Niam of the rebel group Justice and Equality Movement.

At the United Nations, the United States called on Secretary General Kofi Annan to visit Darfur again, and Mr. Annan said the Security Council should consider new steps, like sanctions, to stop the violence.

"We will be engaging with the secretary general on what steps the Security Council might take," Stuart Holliday, a deputy United States ambassador, told reporters.

"I also think it might be time for him to actually personally see the situation in Darfur again, as he did last summer," Mr. Holliday said, adding that he had not spoken with Mr. Annan about it.

The secretary general's last trip resulted in new agreements on providing access for relief agencies. At a year-end news conference Tuesday, Mr. Annan said it was time to examine new measures, including sanctions against those who commit crimes.

In Abuja, the head of the Sudanese government delegation, Majzoub al-Khalifa, said talks had reached a "successful end and we are all committed to the talks again."

He added that the government had accepted, in principle, Mr. Obasanjo's proposals to observe an April cease-fire and move back to positions held at the time at the truce was signed. Rebels had already pledged to observe the much-violated cease-fire.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and some 1.6 million forced to flee in nearly two years of fighting between rebels, government forces and Arab militias called janjaweed.

The Sudanese government has rejected charges that it is backing the janjaweed.

The chaotic situation in Darfur has hampered the work of agencies trying to reach the estimated 2.3 million people who rely on aid to survive.

Aid organizations in the region say rebels have been attacking convoys carrying aid and goods along the road between Nyala and El Fasher, where two Save the Children UK workers were killed recently.

"We are devastated that we are unable to continue to offer health care, nutritional support, child protection and education to the approximately 250,000 children and family members served by our current programs," said Mike Aaronson, the head of Save the Children UK, which operates in North and South Darfur. Save the Children USA, based in Westport, Conn., said it would continue to operate relief programs in West Darfur for now.

The Darfur rebellion began in February 2003, when rebels accused the government of neglecting the arid region, where tribal tensions have long simmered over scarce resources.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/22/international/africa/22sudan.html

 

[NATO AIR]

only gonna get a whole lot worse, and probably never better

the bodycount from the arrogance and indifference of the world only rises....

 

[Zhukov]

It seems to me we must be able to spare a carrier and a dozen or so Longbows...

Besides, what's going on in Sudan could accurately be defined as government mandated and organized terror.

 

[NATO AIR]

It seems to me we must be able to spare a carrier and a dozen or so Longbows...

Besides, what's going on in Sudan could accurately be defined as government mandated and organized terror.

i could only hope so zhukov, i don't see the difference between a nation/regime that terrorizes its people and a group that terrorizes people...

both need to be wiped off the face of the earth

 

[Said1]

It seems to me we must be able to spare a carrier and a dozen or so Longbows...

Besides, what's going on in Sudan could accurately be defined as government mandated and organized terror.

Of course it is. Osama bin Lauden was welcomed there not long ago.