African Union brings Sudan, rebels together for peace talks
By Aaron Maasho
ADDIS ABABA | Wed Apr 24, 2013 7:53pm EDT
(Reuters) - The African Union on Wednesday brought together for the first
time for peace talks Sudan and insurgents fighting government troops in two
states bordering South Sudan, in a conflict that has affected almost a
million people.
Fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the Sudan People's
Liberation Movement-North, or SPLM-North, in the states of South Kordofan
and Blue Nile around the time of South Sudan's secession from Khartoum in
2011.
The violence has displaced or severely affected more than 900,000 people,
according to the United Nations.
Sudan previously refused to meet the SPLM-North, and accused South Sudan of
backing the rebels, charges denied by Juba.
Khartoum altered its position after ties with South Sudan greatly improved
last month with the signing of a deal to resume cross-border oil flows, the
lifeline for both. Both sides also agreed to open 10 border crossings on
Tuesday.
On Wednesday, an AU panel led by mediator Thabo Mbeki, a former South
African president, met with Sudanese delegation chief Ibrahim Ghandour and
the SPLM-North's leader, Yassir Arman, in Addis Ababa at the start of peace
talks, diplomats attending the negotiations said.
Ghandour and Arman were later set to meet directly for the first time,
diplomats said.
No quick breakthrough is expected as both sides harbor deep mistrust and
even hostility. Diplomats see the fact that talks actually take place as
success and hope both will agree to allow the United Nations to deliver
badly needed aid via Sudan to rebel-held territories in both states.
In an opening statement to the AU panel and Sudan's delegation, the
SPLM-North said it was "looking forward to fruitful negotiations" to address
the humanitarian crisis and find a solution for the conflict in both states.
Rebels in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states sided with South Sudan during
the civil war with Khartoum, which ended with a peace deal in 2005. They
were left on the Sudanese side of the border after southern secession and
complain of marginalization.
"We see clearly that this negotiation represents a new historical
opportunity to realize a just peace and peaceful democratic change that will
lead to building a strong new Sudanese state on the basis of equal
citizenship," SPLM-North leaders said in the statement sent to the media.
The rebels also demanded the release of 600 people they said were held by
Sudanese authorities as political prisoners.
The SPLM is part of a an alliance with three rebel groups in the western
Sudanese region of Darfur, scene of a separate insurgency, which seeks to
topple President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.
(Editing by Ulf Laessing and Peter Cooney)
------------[ Sent via the dehai-wn mailing list by dehai.org]--------------
Received on Thu Apr 25 2013 - 22:37:31 EDT
