A new alliance of Darfur factions urged rebel leaders on Monday to forego personal interests and unite to make peace with the Sudanese government.
In a statement issued in the Eritrean capital of Asmara, the United Front for Liberation and Development (UFLD) demanded ”equal representation” for all rebel movements battling the Khartoum regime in Sudan’s western Darfur region.
The alliance said the appeal was ”an attempt to redefine the crisis and depart from the limited focus on individual leaders with their narrow self-interest”.
The UFLD ”condemns the wasteful tactics of showmanship and grandstanding, and asks all parties to focus on the critical issues confronting Darfur and the Sudan [in order to] to expedite an end to the suffering of our people”, the statement said.
The umbrella organisation was formed earlier this month in Asmara and represents five Darfur rebel factions who have rejected a peace deal signed between Khartoum and a leading rebel group in May 2006.
The group, which claims to be ”the largest political and military force at present on the ground in Darfur”, confirmed it will attend talks in the Tanzanian city of Arusha, scheduled early next month.
Following a meeting in Tripoli last week, hold-out rebel groups and international envoys agreed to meet in Arusha to fix a date for the resumption of peace talks with Khartoum.
The UFLD does not include some of the key players on the Darfur rebel scene and reiterated its call for all factions to join its alliance.
According to United Nations estimates, at least 200 000 people have died from the combined effect of war and famine since the conflict erupted in February 2003. — AFP
