ABUJA, 22 September 2005 — Sudan yesterday accused rebels from the western region of Darfur of deliberately attempting to undermine peace talks after the insurgents claimed responsibility for an attack on a government-held town.
Darfur’s main rebel group, the Sudanese Liberation Movement, claimed in a statement to have killed 80 government soldiers in two days of fighting around the town of Sheiria and in the Khazzan Jedid region of southern Darfur. “The SLM won control Monday of the town of Sheiria in southern Darfur, inflicting heavy losses to the enemy estimated at 80 killed in the ranks of the government forces,” said a statement.
The news undermined attempts by the African Union to coax the SLM and the Khartoum government into negotiating a political solution to the 30-month-old conflict at a peace conference in Abuja.
“It’s clear that there is an attempt to sabotage the talks by some elements of the SLM,” said Amin Omar, spokesman for the Sudanese government delegation at the talks. He said that the government had complained to AU cease-fire monitors about the attacks, but promised that his side would not pull out of the talks. “We will not allow them to sabotage the talks, so as not to fulfill their intention,” he said.
The SLM and its military wing, the Sudanese Liberation Army, have split into two factions; one opposed to taking part in the Abuja conference, and the other represented there by a negotiating team. News of the latest fighting was announced by the anti-talks faction, but rebel negotiators at the talks did not attempt to deny it. “This attack took place in retaliation for provocative action by the Janjaweed and the SLM forces have withdrawn from the area,” said the head of the SLM delegation, Abdurahman Musa, repeating an allegation that a state-sponsored militia had started the incident.
