Rebels call for Annan mediation
2008-03-17 09:47
Khartoum - A rebel leader in Sudan's war-torn western region of Darfur on Sunday called for one-on-one peace talks with the Khartoum government under the mediation of former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan.
"We are calling for JEM-government peace talks one to one... Because in reality there are no movements on the ground except JEM," Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement, said.
The group had refused to take part in African Union- and UN-sponsored peace talks aimed at ending five years of violence in Darfur, where 200 000 people had died and 2.2 million displaced, according to international groups.
Ibrahim said his movement was calling for "corrections inside the AU-UN mediation" that had so far failed to make headway in bringing peace.
"We are calling for one single boss. We are calling for institutional reform for the mediation and we are suggesting that Mr Kofi Annan is suitable for heading this negotiation, to lead both the AU and UN," Ibrahim said.
UN- and AU-mediated talks held in the Libyan city of Sirte last October were aimed at convincing key rebel leaders to join peace negotiations, but they quickly collapsed after the main rebel groups boycotted the event.