Rebels asked to unite

2009-07-12 22:12

Cairo - Egypt on Sunday urged rebel groups in war-torn Darfur to unite to help end the fighting which has plagued the western Sudanese province since 2003, the official MENA news agency reported.

Omar Qenawy, deputy head of Egypt's intelligence services, called on "all factions and movements to unite their viewpoints and their ranks", the agency said.

Qenawy spoke after the first session of a three-day conference organised by Egypt and attended by seven Darfur rebel groups.

The largest group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), is not represented, although senior members did visit Cairo a week ago.

Participants in the talks include the Sudan Liberation Army and the United Resistance Front.

MENA quoted an unidentified Egyptian official as saying the Sudanese government has given its approval to Egypt's initiative.

Libya

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, the subject of an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Darfur, was in Cairo on Sunday and discussed the situation in Darfur with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak.

The unidentified official said Egypt is stressing the importance of co-ordination and co-operation with Libya, which is acting as mediator to try to end the Darfur conflict and also to reduce tension between Sudan and Chad.

The official made no mention of recent mediation on Darfur by Qatar.

Qatar, which has fraught relations with Egypt and has sought to expand its own diplomatic clout in the region, has hosted talks between JEM and Khartoum since February.

The United Nations says about 300 000 people have died in Darfur since ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated Khartoum government in 2003, complaining of discrimination.

Sudan says about 10 000 people have died.

- AFP