Rebel leaders absent as peace talks open in Darfur

Negotiators moved to lower expectations ahead of the opening of the Darfur peace talks today, with almost none of the key rebel leaders present to negotiate an agreement with the Sudanese government.

The talks in Sirte, Libya, were announced early September by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to try to end over four years of fighting that have killed more than 200,000 people in Sudan’s western region of Darfur.