NAIROBI, 2 November 2004 — Delegations from Khartoum and Sudan’s main southern rebel group have adjourned talks aimed at clinching a comprehensive peace accord until Nov. 26, mediators said yesterday.
High level discussions between Vice President Ali Osman Taha and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Army (SPLM A) leader John Garang broke up on Oct. 16, while junior delegates stayed on in Nairobi to continue discussions until adjourning this weekend.
These lower-level talks are scheduled to resume on Nov. 26 while Taha and Garang are due to get back to the negotiating table on Dec. 11, according to a statement from the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, the regional body mediating the peace process. Garang’s rebel group took up arms against Khartoum in 1983.
Since Garang and Taha first began meeting in Kenya more than two years ago, half a dozen protocols, covering issues such as power and wealth sharing, have been signed.
This phase of discussions is aimed at consolidating these deals into a permanent accord, ironing out the details of a comprehensive cease-fire, and reaching agreement on security arrangements.
