Darfur rebel groups on Thursday dismissed an Arab League initiative aimed at bringing peace to the war-ravaged western Sudanese region, saying the move came five years too late.
Arab League foreign ministers decided on Monday to establish a committee headed by Qatar and including Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Syria, Libya and Egypt to sponsor peace talks between the rebels and Khartoum.
The committee will work alongside the United Nations and African Union, which are charged with mediating the stalled peace talks aimed at ending the five-year conflict.
However, the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) dismissed the committee, saying it would rather see Arab condemnation of Khartoum’s ”atrocities” in Darfur.
”We welcome any honest attempt at a peace process, but we don’t want the Arab League to be exploiting the differences in Darfur,” said JEM spokesperson Ahmed Hussain.
”We are waiting for the Arab League to condemn the atrocities happening on the ground, such as what the government did in Kalma,” Hussain said, referring to an attack last month by government forces on a displaced persons’ camp that left more than 30 dead.
The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) also rejected the league’s initiative, claiming it was timed to support Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in efforts to delay potential charges from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes and genocide in Darfur.
”It’s just a desperate attempt to save the Sudanese president from international justice,” said Mahgoub Hussein, a London-based spokesperson of the SLA-Unity faction.
”It’s five years too late; where have they been until now?” he said by telephone. ”There cannot be talk of peace deals when the government is attacking civilians.”
Sudanese officials voiced support for the committee.
The Sudanese Media Centre, a news website close to the security services, praised the league’s efforts and quoted presidential adviser Mustafa Osman Ismail as welcoming the meetings.
Ismail, who travelled to Qatar for talks with officials on Tuesday, ”welcomes the recruiting of Qatar to head the initiative and hopes these efforts could bring about peace in Darfur”.
The website also quoted State Foreign Minister Ali Karti as saying the committee would ”mobilise Arab and international aid in favour of humanitarian and development positions in Darfur”. — Sapa-AFP