NAIROBI, 1 December 2003 — Proximity talks resumed yesterday between mediators and Sudanese rebels in a town on the Kenyan border with Sudan ahead of face-to-face talks with the Khartoum government, chief mediator Lazaro Sumbeiywo said.
“The peace talks have resumed. We are currently holding consultations with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) delegates in Lokichoggio,” Sumbeiywo said by telephone from Lokichoggio, about 670 km northwest of the capital Nairobi.
“Both parties have told me they are willing to do business and reach a comprehensive peace accord,” he said.
Sumbeiywo said he was consulting with the SPLA on the sticking points — power- and wealth-sharing and the three conflict regions of Abyei, Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile — before the Khartoum government delegation arrives in Kenya later yesterday evening.
A Sudanese Embassy official said direct negotiations would resume at noon (0900 GMT) today in Kenya’s Rift Valley town of Naivasha. The SPLA rebels have fought Khartoum forces since 1983 in a war that has killed at least 1.5 million people and displaced more than four million.
This round of talks is expected to be the last, as both sides have reiterated their commitment to reach a comprehensive peace before the end of the year.
“We cannot say when this round will end because it would be determined by the principals (Sudan’s first Vice President Ali Osman Taha and SPLA chief John Garang),” Sumbeiywo said. Taha and Garang are expected to join the talks on Friday.
Last Friday, Khartoum and SPLA signed an extension of cessation of hostilities for two more months, instead of the usual three months, which Sumbeiywo said was in “anticipation that we will have a comprehensive peace agreement by the end of the year.”
Previous talks have made substantial progress to end Africa’s most intractable conflict, notably in July 2000, when the two sides agreed to hold a referendum after six years from the day a final deal is reached.
In the plebiscite, voters in the south will choose between unity and secession.
In September, the warring parties agreed on a security arrangement during the transitional period, under which Khartoum would withdraw its forces from southern positions, paving way for the creation of integrated army units.
