Talks on Darfur crisis

PUSHED to end the Darfur crisis, Sudan’s government gathered in Nigeria yesterday for talks with rebel leaders in Sudan’s bloodied western Darfur region.

Two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement, sent high-level delegations to the talks.

In a goodwill gesture on the eve of the talks, Sudan’s government said it would cut the number of official paramilitary forces operating in Darfur by 30%.This followed the signing of a memorandum last Saturday in which the Sudanese government agreed to ensure the safe return home of more than a million people displaced by conflict in the western Darfur region, and pledged to abide by a policy of voluntary return. Eighteen months of conflict in Darfur have killed tens of thousands and driven 1.2 million others from their homes.