AFRICA/SUDAN - Agreement between Sudanese government and one guerrilla group to guarantee security in Darfur. With regard to the sending of an international peace force to the region talks continue.

Friday, 23 June 2006

Khartoum (Agenzia Fides)- An international peace force cannot be sent to the west Sudan region Darfur where civil war has raged for years without the consensus of the Sudanese government, said United Nations’ vice secretary general, Jean Marie Guehenno at the end of a mission to Khartoum. Guehenno heads a joint UN/African Union mission to assess the needs of a future international force in Darfur. UN Secretary general Kofi Annan also said that the United Nations do not want to impose on a member country what would appear to be a colonial power.
The sending of an international military force to protect the civilian population is backed by the United Nations, the United States and a number of other western countries. Khartoum refuses and offers to send a contingent of the new Sudanese army formed also of elements of the former rebel army of southern Sudan. On the basis of an agreement reached in 2005 by the Khartoum and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, part of the SPLM troops have been integrated into the regular Sudanese army. The new army should guarantee greater impartiality with regard to the different ethnic and religious fractions in the country.
While the international community and the Sudanese government continue to discuss the sending of a peace mission to the tormented region, an agreement was reached to improve security conditions in the area between the executive in Khartoum and the rebel group in Darfur which signed a treaty at the beginning of May pace (see Fides 5 May 2006).
This recent agreement was reached with the mediation of the government of the Netherlands which has promised to supply aid for rebuilding Darfur as soon as security conditions permit. The agreement was signed by the Sudan Liberation Army SLA led by Minni Arcua Minnavi of the Zaghawa ethnic group which represents 8% of the people of Darfur. The Zaghawa ethnic group is divided between SLA and the Movement for Justice and Equality, which refused to sign the May agreement and demands self rule for Darfur. Minni, who proclaimed himself SLA secretary general, took power in the movement ousting his internal rival Abd el Wahab. Since then the two SLA factions have fought each other adding violence to violence. In fact despite the treaty signed in May the ferocious pro-government Janjaweed militia continue to harass the civilian population.
There is a danger that the conflict may spread to neighbouring Chad where over 200,000 refugees from Darfur live in camps and from where, what is more, the rebel movements draw new recruits. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 23/6/2006 righe 38 parole 490)


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