AU confirms efforts to convince Darfur rebels to sign peaceagreement

The African Union (AU) mission in Sudan confirmed on Sunday that efforts were being exerted to convince some rebel groups in Sudan's western region of Darfur to sign the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA).

Ambassador Sam Ibok, the head of the AU mission, told reporters that the officials from the AU, the European Union and the international community had conducted contacts with the rebel groups which had so far refused to accept a peace deal with the Sudanese government.

Sudanese First Vice President and President of the South Sudan Government Mayardit Salva Kiir and Muni Arku Minawi, Senior Assistant of the Sudanese President and Chairman of the Interim Authority in Darfur, had also tried to contact the rebels, Ibok added.

However, the AU official did not elaborate on whether any result had been achieved in the efforts.

The Sudanese government of President Omer al-Bashir signed the DPA with a main faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement ( SLM) led by Minawi in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on May 5.

But other rebel groups, including another SLM faction led by Abdelwahid Mohameed al-Nour and the Justice and Equality Movement led by Khalil Ibrahim refused to sign the peace agreement, arguing that the agreement had failed to meet all their demands.

Since then, sporadic fightings have reportedly taken place between the government forces and militants of Minawi's SLM faction on one side and other rebel groups on the other.

"The implementation of the DPA is progressing slowly", Ibok commented, adding that efforts were being made for setting up an interim authority for Darfur, disarming the rebel militia and appointing observers for the DPA implementation.

He said that parties concerned were providing assistance and facilities for holding a proposed Darfurian-Darfurian dialogue, which was believe to be able to solve many disputes in the region.

Source: Xinhua