United Nations – The U.N. envoy trying to promote a political solution to the four-year conflict in Darfur said the road to negotiations has become even more complicated because of the increasing number of rebel groups.
Jan Eliasson said Friday that just three weeks ago, there were nine opposition movements. Now, he said, there are 12 – and the number could increase.
“They are fragmenting further, and that is, of course, great difficulty, not only politically but physically and logistically,” he told reporters after a closed-door briefing to the U.N. Security Council.
Eliasson presented a plan to the council that he and African Union envoy Salim Ahmed Salim have prepared, aimed at reviving peace talks.
The first step – getting all political initiatives on the same track and under the U.N.-A.U. umbrella – started in May. The second step, conducting shuttle diplomacy to prepare for negotiations, will start in late June and continue in July, he said.
“And then, we hope that we will be able to have the negotiation phase start at the end of the summer,” Eliasson said.
Fighting between ethnic African rebels and pro-government janjaweed militia in Sudan’s vast western Darfur region began in February 2003 and has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million.
A beleaguered, 7,000-strong African Union force has been unable to stop the fighting, and neither has the Darfur Peace Agreement, signed a year ago by the government and one rebel group. Other rebel factions have called the deal insufficient.
The government has agreed to open up the issue of wealth sharing for discussion, Eliasson said, but during negotiations, the parties must also talk about power sharing, “which is more sensitive and more difficult,” and security, primarily disarming the janjaweed.
Most rebel groups have indicated they are ready to come to talks, said Pekka Haavisto, the former European Union envoy for Darfur.
