SUDAN: Rebels and Sudanese government officials resumed talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja yesterday to end 2½ years of bloodshed in Darfur. The talks come as a shaky ceasefire showed signs of disintegrating, with both sides accusing the other of trying to destabilise negotiations.
Earlier this week senior commanders in the Sudan Liberation Army, one of the two main rebel groups, claimed government forces were responsible for attacks that killed at least 20 militiamen and civilians.
So far UN officials estimate that more than 300,000 people have been killed and two million driven from their homes and into refugee camps.
Previous talks in Abuja have stalled, with each side blaming the other for undermining the peace process. Khartoum's chief negotiator, Majzub al-Khalifa Ahmed, was optimistic that this time would be different.
"The government delegation is fully mandated to conduct the negotiations and ensure this round is decisive and final," he said. "The government is determined that 2005 shall be a year of peace."
But yesterday's talks were undermined even before they began, with one faction of the SLA announcing it would stay away until differences within the rebel movement were resolved.
Africa-watchers were sceptical that a breakthrough could be achieved before the end of the year. David Mozersky, Sudan analyst with the International Crisis Group, said: "There is no doubt this will be a difficult round of negotiations.
"It is difficult to imagine the talks making progress when the rebels are so disunited. The SLA needs to sort out its internal divisions before it can offer a coherent negotiating position.
"At the same time, the government has not shown any willingness to agree to any substantial devolution or power-sharing in the region." Fighting broke out in Sudan's western Darfur region in February 2003.
The rebels claim to represent Darfur's black African majority. They have demanded greater regional autonomy and a bigger share in Sudan's revenue from oil exports. Khartoum's response was brutal, setting Arab Janjaweed militia against rebels and their civilian supporters.