Sudanese government envoys and the leaders of a rebellion in the western province of Darfur opened formal peace negotiations on Monday at an African Union-sponsored conference in Abuja.
AU special envoy Hamid Algabid welcomed the delegates to the conference venue in the Nigerian capital before the start of closed-door talks on the security and humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged region.
The parties have been in informal discussions since Friday but are now expected to begin negotiations on two draft agreements, one guaranteeing the protection of civilians and one on demilitarising the conflict.
AU officials expect the talks to last at least three weeks.
The Khartoum government and Darfur’s two rebel groups have been at war for 20 months. A ceasefire deal was signed in Chad’s capital, Ndjamena, in April, but United Nations and AU monitors say that it is often violated.
The UN estimates that 1,5-million people have been driven from their homes during the fighting, and 70 000 have been killed. — Sapa-AFP