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Two rebel groups from Sudan's Darfur region insisted on Thursday that the Khartoum government withdraw its armed forces and allied militia from the troubled western region before there could be negotiations on ending the devastating conflict there. The military withdrawal was one of five conditions laid down by the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM) in Addis Ababa at the start of a raucous meeting with Sudanese government officials hosted by the African Union (AU). "Removal of government troops and Janjawid militia from Darfur, including those who are integrated into the police or other government offices" was top of a list read out by SLM official Adam Ali Shogan. The rebels also insisted Khartoum step up efforts to counter Darfur's humanitarian crisis, where a major famine is looming, recommit itself to an April 8 ceasefire -- which both sides are accused of violating --, investigate war crimes such as "ethnic cleansing" and prosecute perpetrators, and release prisoners of war. "Until these are done there is no question of political dialogue," the rebel official declared. The AU had billed the meeting as "political talks" aimed at ending a 17-month conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people, displaced over a million and spawned what the United Nations has termed the world's worst current humanitarian crisis. Proceedings at one point degenerated into a prolonged shouting match until AU Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare intervened by welcoming the animated "expression of opinions and ideas" and turning the meeting into closed-door session. Shogan accused the government of bombing a village in northern Darfur earlier this week "killing 77 innocent people including teachers, students, women and children". The head of the Khartoum delegation, Agriculture Minister Majzoub al-Khalifa Ahmed, insisted: "We have shown our commitment and responsibility to divert the humanitarian crisis in Darfur and we have shown progress in this direction." "The government has released prisoners, facilitated all necessary infrastructures to humanitarian agencies and we are here today to extinguish the fire that has ravaged the area." Opening the meeting, AU Peace and Security Commissioner Said Djinnit had told both sides: "There is no other way than dialogue." The AU has adopted the Darfur crisis -- which dominated last week's AU summit in Addis Ababa -- as a test case for its determination to seriously address security problems across Africa. "Darfur is not only a problem for Sudan but also for the region and the continent," Djinnit said. Recent visits to Sudan by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and US Secretary of State Colin Powell helped pushed the region up the international news agenda and pressure has mounted on Khartoum from numerous quarters to disarm and neutralise the Arab Janjawid militia, which is accused of carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against black African communities. The crisis threatens to derail a separate peace process between Khartoum and a southern rebel group called the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement, which has been fighting the government since 1983. After years of talks, these negotiations are nearing a comprehensive accord. "The tragedy in Sudan is spilling over to neighbouring countries. This is totally unacceptable," Djinnit noted. More than 120,000 people from Darfur have fled west across the border into Chad, where conditions make it difficult for aid agencies to fully address their humanitarian needs. After both sides had their say, the AU presented reports from its nascent Darfur ceasefire commission and observer mission, which is to be bolstered by a 300-strong armed protection force by the end of July. The parties were then scheduled to present their "vision and position on issues to be discussed during the political dialogue" before agreeing on an agenda, the composition of delegations, and timetable for further in-depth discussions, according to an AU statement. All rights reserved. Copyright 2003 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse. Quick Links
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