Darfur rebels opt out of peace talks
TRIPOLI, Libya - Two major Darfur rebel groups said Friday they plan to boycott upcoming peace talks, a major blow to negotiations the U.N. hoped could reach a new agreement for the Sudanese region torn by years of fighting.
U.N. and African Union mediators said they would press on with the conference, beginning today in Sirte, Libya. But the absence of the Justice and Equality Movement and SLA-Unity groups means that at most only a few minor rebel factions will attend.
The groups jointly decided to boycott because the mediators invited factions with little popular support, according to Mohammed Bahr Hamdeen, a senior Justice and Equality leader. He claimed Friday that the groups attending today’s session were proxies for the Sudanese government.
The announcement was a serious blow to potential progress at the peace talks.
When the peace talks in Libya were announced in September, they were seen as an opportunity to reach a lasting peace agreement for Darfur. But infighting among the rebel factions soon cast doubt on who would attend.