Najamina talks gone with the wind; Khartoum denies violation of Darfour truce

A Sudanese government official yesterday ( Friday) denied that the government forces had violated the cease fire agreement signed on April 8 in Njamina, the capital of Chad, with the two rebel movements in Darfour.

Sudan's office for media services (close to the authorities ) quoted a senior government source that the accusations addressed to the government by one of the two rebel movements in Darfour over violating the cease fire are not correct and an attempt to hide certain practices by the rebels in Darfour. The military spokesman for "Justice and Equality" movement Abdullah Abdul Karim had stressed earlier that the forces supporting al-Khartoum violated the cease fire. He said that the militias supported by the regular army burnt villages in Darfour.

The spokesman for Sudan's liberation movement said yesterday that the representative of the two rebel movements will not head for the peace talks to halt clashes in the region, accusing the government of continuing its attacks despite of the truce.

Mousa Hamid al-Dao said "we have issued a joint statement with the justice and equality movement that we will not attend the cease fire talks in Addis Ababa or the political talks in Njamina." Negotiations between the Sudanese government and the two movements are due to be resumed in Darfour next Tuesday in Njamina in order to reach a final settlement for the conflict which resulted since its eruption 14 months ago in killing some 10,000 persons and dislocation of 670,000 including 100,000 crossed the borders and resorted to neighboring Chad.

The media office said that the Sudanese foreign ministry started arrangements to receive observers to be delegated by the African federation to follow up the implementation of the cease fire in Darfour.