First sentences against Jangaweid members, Inter- Sudanese peace negotiations extended

The Kenyan mediator to the peace talks between the Sudanese government and the southern rebels, Lazaraos Simbayo, said that the negotiators are embarking on the final touches for the security arrangements, and therefore the final agreement is not ready as expected.

Meantime, a Sudanese court stated the imprisonment of ten members of Jangaweid militias for 6 years, in the first sentence issued by the judiciary in the acts of killing and stealing they had committed in Darfur district.

Representatives and mediators will be meeting at Kenya's Nevasha settlement since June 27th in order to settle cease fire details to end the longest civil war period in Africa, according to what was agreed upon in a peace accord signed on May 26th.

Meantime, the US secretary of state Colin Powell once again called on the Sudanese government to carry out " acts " in order to rescue lives in Darfur. In an article issued by the French daily " Le Monde" yesterday Powell defended the idea of punishing persons responsible for Darfur crisis including the Sudanese authorities. Powell wrote: " despite certain initiatives violence is still continuous and we have not noticed yet anything to indicate settling the situation." He added "We want a concrete progress on the ground, immediately."