ADDIS ABABA, 16 July 2004 — Sudanese government and rebel officials yesterday opened political talks in Addis Ababa aimed at ending a devastating conflict in the western region of Darfur, an AFP journalist reported. “There is no other way than dialogue,” Said Djinnit, Peace and Security Commissioner at the African Union, which is hosting the meeting, said at the opening.

Both rebel groups which rose up in Darfur in February 2003 to protest the perceived marginalization of the region, the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Army Movement, were represented at the talks.

The Sudanese government delegation is led by Agriculture Minister Majzoub Al-Khalifa Ahmed and includes Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Tigani Salih Fidhail and Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs Mohamed Yussef Abdullah.

The insurgency prompted a heavy-handed response from government forces and allied militia groups known as Janjaweed, who have been widely condemned for human rights abuses. The UN has described Darfur, where more than 10,000 people have died and over a million been displaced, as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Widespread agricultural disruption has prompted fears of mass starvation. The AU has adopted the crisis 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,” said Djinnit. “The tragedy in Sudan is spilling over to neighboring countries. This is totally unacceptable,” he added.

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. “We don’t have to sit here for endless discussions. We should have the commitment and conviction to put an end to this tragedy and humanitarian crisis,” said Djinnit. “There is no other way than dialogue, but that doesn’t mean we have to go on talking and talking without getting results,” he added.

Earlier, Ahmed Tugod Lissan, general coordinator of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), said he would sit in the same room as Khartoum officials only to put three conditions to the meeting for JEM’s further participation in peace efforts. “This is not the right time to engage in political dialogue when all these agreements are not respected by the Sudanese government,” he told Reuters.

“The Sudanese government’s policy of ethnic cleansing aimed at eradicating non-Arabs from lands they hold continues unabated,” he said, adding JEM wanted the international community to send in a peacekeeping force with a robust mandate to end the conflict. He declined to provide details about the three conditions he plans to put to the AU-hosted talks.

The meeting at AU headquarters has been convened to discuss the status of a shaky cease-fire in the remote western region, disarmament of combatants, the humanitarian situation and deployment of AU cease-fire monitors, AU officials said.

JEM and another rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), say the government has armed Arab militias, known as Janjaweed, to loot and burn African villages in a campaign of ethnic cleansing. Khartoum denies the charge.

Jan Egeland, the UN emergency relief coordinator, says Sudan has opened its doors to aid groups trying to help the displaced in Darfur but militias are still attacking villagers. After UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s visit this month to Sudan and neighboring Chad, where about 200,000 Darfur refugees are encamped, Sudan signed a joint communique vowing to disarm the militias, allow unrestricted aid access in the remote west and speed up peace talks with the rebels.

Egypt said yesterday it may seek to send observers to join the AU-led mission. Presidential spokesman Maged Abdul Fatah made the comment following talks in Cairo between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his Sudanese counterpart, Omar Bashir.

He said the issue of Egypt’s participation was still under review but hinted that a decision could be made soon. “It is important that we contribute in restoring stability in the Darfur region,” he added, warning that an escalation of the situation, which could invite sanctions against Sudan, would have unfavorable consequences for the entire region.

The situation in Darfur featured prominently during the meeting between Mubarak and Bashir, according to Fatah, who said the Sudanese leader briefed his host on the results of the recent visits to Sudan by US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Anan.

They also discussed the recent AU summit communique on Darfur and Bashir’s July 10 meeting with his Chadian counterpart on the conflict in Darfur. Fatah added that Bashir said he was committed to “resolving this problem as soon as possible.”

Both the United Nations and United States have threatened to impose sanctions against Sudan and other parties involved in the conflict unless they show real determination to put an end to conflict. “The problem of Darfur is complicated and not a simple one that can be resolved by imposing sanctions,” argued Fatah. He said Sudan should be given a chance to implement the commitments it made to the international community regarding Darfur.

“The Sudanese government sees that it is capable of controlling the situation and disarming the factions,” he added. Sudan only requested logistical, humanitarian and material support as it goes about implementing the commitments it made, according to the Egyptian presidential spokesman. “And they have Egypt’s support in this direction,” he added.