ABUJA, June 10, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – A new round of talks aimed at ending conflict in the troubled western Sudan's region of Darfur was set to open Friday, June 10, in the Nigerian capital after a six-month break.
Delegates from the Sudanese government and the main two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) already arrived in Nigeria to take part in the talks, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.
"The talks will soon get under way. The representation will be high-level. The delegates, especially from the rebel side, arrived this morning," an official from the African Union (AU), which sponsors the talks, said.
The special UN envoy to Sudan , Jan Pronk, also arrived in the West African country to take part in the talks.
The AU official added that the head of the AU Commission, Alpha Oumar Konare, would preside over the opening ceremony of the Darfur talks.
"Konare has arrived at the conference hall for the talks. He will chair the opening session on behalf of Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and the AU."
JEM head, Ibrahim Khalil, told Al-Jazeera TV that his movement is working to reach a comprehensive solution with the Sudanese government to maintain Sudan 's territorial integrity.
Peace talks between the Sudanese government and the two rebel groups began in Abuja in August 2004, but were suspended in December to allow for more consultations among the warring parties.
The Darfur conflict erupted in April 2003 when the rebel JEM and the SLM took up arms against the Khartoum government.
The United Nations said the conflict is causing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis at present.
An estimated 670,000 people have fled their homes since the beginning of the conflict while 110,000 others reportedly sought refuge in neighboring Chad .
Optimism
Obasanjo expressed hope that the new round of talks would bring a "comprehensive solution" to the Darfur conflict.
"The president's expectation is that this will be the last round of the negotiations, towards a comprehensive solution of the Darfur crisis that will lead to a unified Sudan , peaceful and secured," Obasanjo's spokeswoman, Oluremi Oyo, told AFP.
"The president is upbeat. He is optimistic, he has put a lot of efforts into this and he knows that the contestants (parties) over the Darfur crisis are very keen on getting this resolved in the best way," she added.
Obasanjo, Chairman of the AU, was due to return to Nigeria later Friday after a visit to Geneva .
A similar feeling of optimism was echoed by Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, who said earlier this week that he hoped the Abuja meeting would be the last.
Doubts
However, Jason Mosley, Africa analyst for the London based research group, Oxford Analytica, said indications are not good that the talks will make much progress toward ending the conflict, according to Voice of America.
"I'm not expecting a dramatic announcement to come out of tomorrow," he told AFP. "But what's good is that we're getting people back to the table. It's certainly not going to be anything earth-shaking though."
He cited recent fighting between the two rebel groups as a sign they are not yet ready to negotiate seriously.
Clashes erupted between the two rebel groups last week, claiming 11 lives while 17 others were injured, according to the AU mission in Darfur .
Mosley also cast doubts on the sincerity of the Sudanese government to render the talks a success.
"We also have to take into consideration that the government in Khartoum is not necessarily interested in seeing this conflict ended," he said.
"As long as it draws out, it gives them leverage with the international community."
There are around 2,700 AU troops on the ground in Darfur to protect international observers monitoring an April 2004 cease-fire between the Khartoum government and the two rebel groups. The AU forces do not have a mandate to intervene to protect civilians.
On June 8, NATO defense ministers gave the green light to an operation to airlift extra African troops to Sudan 's troubled Darfur region, in the alliance's first mission on the continent.
2- The AU has 2,700 troops on the ground in Darfur to protect international observers.