Friday 10 August 2007.
August 9, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Heavy fighting in southern Darfur has killed scores of rebels and government forces over the past week, and the Sudanese air force has bombed several villages, rebels and international observers in Darfur reported Thursday.
The clashes began Aug. 1 when a coalition of rebels, including members of the Justice and Equality Movement, captured the strategic town of Adila, where Sudanese troops were stationed to protect the only railway linking Darfur to Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, rebels said.
The Sudanese army and its allied janjaweed militias "were summarily defeated, leaving behind heavy weapons and ammunition," JEM said in a statement. The group said the offensive was led by Abdelazziz Ushar, a Darfur field commander previously fighting a separate rebellion in eastern Sudan.
A senior international observer in Darfur said Thursday that Sudanese forces had recaptured Adila, located near South Darfur’s border with the neighboring region of Khordofan, but reported clashes were ongoing.
"It seems over 100 (Sudanese) soldiers or janjaweed have been killed," the official told The Associated Press on the telephone. At least 10 rebels were killed and 15 injured, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Rebels said they launched the offensive because the janjaweed were burning villages in the area.
The African Union mission in Darfur confirmed there had been heavy fighting, but said it had no further details.
"The zone around Adila is a no-go area for us," said A.U. spokesman Noureddine Mezni.
Rebels and international observers said the fighters seized more than 50 government vehicles and some heavy armament during the offensive.
Meanwhile, Sudan’s air force bombed at least four villages in the area this week, observers and rebels said, but there were no reports of casualties because many of the civilians have fled.
One of JEM’s leaders said his group shot down a government MIG-29 fighter jet on Wednesday that was participating in the bombings, a claim denied by the government and disputed by other rebels.
Abdullahi el-Tom told AP the aircraft’s wreckage had been found 2.8 miles south of Adila, but the pilot had not been located.
Rebels from a faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement fighting alongside JEM told international observers the jet crashed because of a mechanical problem.
Army spokesman Gen. Osman Mohamed al-Agbash denied that rebels had downed a government jet, but indicated the military had faced heavy fighting in Adila.
"JEM wants to tell the international community that the army has used air bombing in (the) recapturing of Adila," the Sudan Media Center, a news services deemed close to the government, quoted al-Agbash as saying. There was no comment on military casualties.
Military flights are banned over Darfur by several U.N. resolutions and peace agreements, and Sudanese authorities routinely deny conducting air raids.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited Darfur last month and said the region was largely pacified. But the U.N. mission in Sudan said there have been clashes between rebels and the government in northern Darfur in recent days.
The heavy fighting in Adila came as the U.N. and A.U. sponsored a Darfur rebel conference in Arusha, Tanzania, to relaunch talks with the government after a May 2006 peace agreement between Khartoum and one rebel faction last year proved largely ineffective.
JEM’s el-Tom confirmed that rebel delegates attended last week’s conference and were willing to negotiate a peace agreement with Khartoum.
"But for the moment we have no cease-fire," he said. "Fighting will go on until we agree on something with Khartoum."
More than 200,000 people have died in Darfur since ethnic African rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated central government, accusing it of discrimination. Khartoum is accused of retaliating by unleashing janjaweed militias, which are blamed for the worst atrocities against civilians in a conflict that has displaced more than 2.5 million people.
The government denies the charges but resisted for months a push for U.N. peacekeepers to replace the 7,000-strong A.U. force in Darfur. A July Security Council resolution provides for a "hybrid force" of 26,000 U.N. and A.U. troops to deploy in Darfur under a compromise deal that could see the peacekeepers in the region by the end of the year.
(AP)
Friday, August 10, 2007
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Darfur Rebels Say They Shot Down Government Plane
By REUTERS
Filed at 6:15 a.m. ET
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Darfur rebel commanders said on Wednesday they had shot down a government MiG 29 plane they say was bombing civilian villages in their areas in Sudan's Darfur region.
"We have downed a plane - MiG 29 around 4.5 km south of Adila yesterday around 5 p.m. (10 a.m. EDT)," commander Adel Aziz el-Nur Ashr from the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality and Movement (JEM) told Reuters by telephone.
Adila is in the far east of South Darfur state. Last week the government accused JEM of attacking the government controlled town.
JEM said the government attacked their areas around Adila ahead of a U.N.-African Union mediated meeting of rebel factions in Tanzania to renew the peace process.
"We are looking for the pilot," said Ashr. "We have the body of the plane."
Neither the United Nations, nor the AU, which is monitoring a shaky ceasefire in Sudan's arid west, could immediately confirm the report.
Sudan's army spokesman was not immediately available to comment.
The rebels have brought down government Antonov planes and helicopters over the more than four years of conflict in Darfur.
A U.N. report said the government had been bombing in Darfur until the end of June, which would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions banning offensive flying.
Filed at 6:15 a.m. ET
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Darfur rebel commanders said on Wednesday they had shot down a government MiG 29 plane they say was bombing civilian villages in their areas in Sudan's Darfur region.
"We have downed a plane - MiG 29 around 4.5 km south of Adila yesterday around 5 p.m. (10 a.m. EDT)," commander Adel Aziz el-Nur Ashr from the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality and Movement (JEM) told Reuters by telephone.
Adila is in the far east of South Darfur state. Last week the government accused JEM of attacking the government controlled town.
JEM said the government attacked their areas around Adila ahead of a U.N.-African Union mediated meeting of rebel factions in Tanzania to renew the peace process.
"We are looking for the pilot," said Ashr. "We have the body of the plane."
Neither the United Nations, nor the AU, which is monitoring a shaky ceasefire in Sudan's arid west, could immediately confirm the report.
Sudan's army spokesman was not immediately available to comment.
The rebels have brought down government Antonov planes and helicopters over the more than four years of conflict in Darfur.
A U.N. report said the government had been bombing in Darfur until the end of June, which would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions banning offensive flying.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Sudan unhappy at some Darfur rebel demands
By Opheera McDoom
Tue Aug 7, 1:29 PM ET
Sudan's government is not enthusiastic about some elements of a joint Darfur rebel negotiating platform agreed during U.N. and African Union mediated talks, U.N. Darfur envoy Jan Eliasson said on Tuesday.
Eliasson and his AU counterpart Salim Ahmed Salim, in an effort to reignite peace efforts, brought many Darfur commanders and groups together for unity talks in Arusha early this week.
They emerged from the meeting in Tanzania with a common platform, including agreement on land issues, power and wealth-sharing ahead of proposed talks with the government.
But Eliasson told reporters after meeting Foreign Ministry officials in Khartoum: "Not all of the points of course are met with great enthusiasm, but it is a basis."
Khartoum says a Darfur peace deal it signed with one of three rebel negotiating factions in May 2006 should not be reopened to address the concerns of rebels, who have since split into more than a dozen factions.
"The government does not want to have a renegotiation of the DPA (Darfur Peace Agreement) so this is a matter we will discuss both with the government and with the non-signatories -- how will we finalize the final agenda," Eliasson added.
He said the U.N.-AU team would to try to bring government and rebel positions together in the coming weeks to reach a final agenda for talks, due to begin in about two months.
Senior Foreign Ministry official Mutrif Siddig said the government welcomed the Arusha talks, but was disappointed not all the factions were present and that the original timeline, which had envisaged peace talks beginning by August, was lost.
LEGITIMACY
International experts estimate 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been driven from their homes during more than four years of rape, murder, disease and looting in Darfur, violence Washington calls genocide.
European governments are reluctant to use the term, which Khartoum rejects. Sudan puts the death toll at 9,000.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague has issued arrest warrants on war crimes charges against a government minister and a militia leader.
On Tuesday ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Khartoum must hand over the suspects.
"Sudan cannot be a pariah country. They know it is important. The government needs legitimacy, so they will respect the law," Moreno-Ocampo told Reuters in Australia.
Sudan says the ICC has no authority in Darfur.
After months of talks, threats and negotiations, the government finally agreed to a joint U.N.-AU 26,000-strong peacekeeping force in Darfur, but said most of the troops should come from Africa.
But Zambia said on Tuesday the continent could not muster enough soldiers to complete the mission and international troops would have to be found from other areas.
"We don't have the means," Foreign Minister Mundia Sikatana told Reuters during a meeting in Malaysia. "Immediately Africa has no capacity to deal with the situation in Darfur."
Andrew Natsios, U.S. special envoy on Sudan, concurred. "We are going to try to recruit from Africa but it is very clear from already talking to African leaders and military that there are not enough African troops that are trained in peacekeeping operations to make up this force."
"I think there is an understanding from the Sudanese government that we are going to have to go outside of Africa. This is a sensitive issue," he told reporters.
The United Nations says the joint force must deploy alongside a renewed political process, as they must have a peace to keep.
REBEL ABSENCES
Analysts said the Arusha meeting's chance of success was hampered by the absence of some important rebel figures, but nonetheless succeeded in boosting unity which has been a major hindrance to talks with the government.
Among those who did not attend was Suleiman Jamous, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) humanitarian coordinator who is seen by experts as key to any lasting peace.
He has been hospitalised outside Darfur and risks arrest if he returns. On Tuesday the government said it would lift that threat if the international community guaranteed he would not rejoin armed groups in Darfur.
Eliasson said a seat at any future talks was also available for Darfur SLA leader and founder Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur, who refuses any talks until an oil-for-food program and no-fly zone is in place in Sudan's remote west.
Nur has few troops on the ground but commands huge popular support among Darfur's largest tribe, the Fur.
(Additional reporting by Clarence Fernandez in Malaysia, Rob Taylor in Australia and Sue Pleming in Washington)
Tue Aug 7, 1:29 PM ET
Sudan's government is not enthusiastic about some elements of a joint Darfur rebel negotiating platform agreed during U.N. and African Union mediated talks, U.N. Darfur envoy Jan Eliasson said on Tuesday.
Eliasson and his AU counterpart Salim Ahmed Salim, in an effort to reignite peace efforts, brought many Darfur commanders and groups together for unity talks in Arusha early this week.
They emerged from the meeting in Tanzania with a common platform, including agreement on land issues, power and wealth-sharing ahead of proposed talks with the government.
But Eliasson told reporters after meeting Foreign Ministry officials in Khartoum: "Not all of the points of course are met with great enthusiasm, but it is a basis."
Khartoum says a Darfur peace deal it signed with one of three rebel negotiating factions in May 2006 should not be reopened to address the concerns of rebels, who have since split into more than a dozen factions.
"The government does not want to have a renegotiation of the DPA (Darfur Peace Agreement) so this is a matter we will discuss both with the government and with the non-signatories -- how will we finalize the final agenda," Eliasson added.
He said the U.N.-AU team would to try to bring government and rebel positions together in the coming weeks to reach a final agenda for talks, due to begin in about two months.
Senior Foreign Ministry official Mutrif Siddig said the government welcomed the Arusha talks, but was disappointed not all the factions were present and that the original timeline, which had envisaged peace talks beginning by August, was lost.
LEGITIMACY
International experts estimate 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been driven from their homes during more than four years of rape, murder, disease and looting in Darfur, violence Washington calls genocide.
European governments are reluctant to use the term, which Khartoum rejects. Sudan puts the death toll at 9,000.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague has issued arrest warrants on war crimes charges against a government minister and a militia leader.
On Tuesday ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Khartoum must hand over the suspects.
"Sudan cannot be a pariah country. They know it is important. The government needs legitimacy, so they will respect the law," Moreno-Ocampo told Reuters in Australia.
Sudan says the ICC has no authority in Darfur.
After months of talks, threats and negotiations, the government finally agreed to a joint U.N.-AU 26,000-strong peacekeeping force in Darfur, but said most of the troops should come from Africa.
But Zambia said on Tuesday the continent could not muster enough soldiers to complete the mission and international troops would have to be found from other areas.
"We don't have the means," Foreign Minister Mundia Sikatana told Reuters during a meeting in Malaysia. "Immediately Africa has no capacity to deal with the situation in Darfur."
Andrew Natsios, U.S. special envoy on Sudan, concurred. "We are going to try to recruit from Africa but it is very clear from already talking to African leaders and military that there are not enough African troops that are trained in peacekeeping operations to make up this force."
"I think there is an understanding from the Sudanese government that we are going to have to go outside of Africa. This is a sensitive issue," he told reporters.
The United Nations says the joint force must deploy alongside a renewed political process, as they must have a peace to keep.
REBEL ABSENCES
Analysts said the Arusha meeting's chance of success was hampered by the absence of some important rebel figures, but nonetheless succeeded in boosting unity which has been a major hindrance to talks with the government.
Among those who did not attend was Suleiman Jamous, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) humanitarian coordinator who is seen by experts as key to any lasting peace.
He has been hospitalised outside Darfur and risks arrest if he returns. On Tuesday the government said it would lift that threat if the international community guaranteed he would not rejoin armed groups in Darfur.
Eliasson said a seat at any future talks was also available for Darfur SLA leader and founder Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur, who refuses any talks until an oil-for-food program and no-fly zone is in place in Sudan's remote west.
Nur has few troops on the ground but commands huge popular support among Darfur's largest tribe, the Fur.
(Additional reporting by Clarence Fernandez in Malaysia, Rob Taylor in Australia and Sue Pleming in Washington)
Monday, August 6, 2007
FACTBOX-Major players at Darfur peace talks
Aug 6 (Reuters) - Darfur rebel factions meeting in Tanzania have reached a common negotiating position and want final peace talks with the Sudanese government within months, international mediators said on Monday.
The African Union and United Nations called the Darfur meeting in Arusha, Tanzania to form a rebel consensus after a May 2006 peace deal was signed only by a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) led by Minni Arcua Minnawi.
Another SLA faction led by founder Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur and the Justice and Equality Movement headed by Khalil Ibrahim did not sign, despite intense international pressure.
The lack of support by other rebels undermined the agreement within days. The rebels have split into more than a dozen factions.
Minnawi became special assistant to Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, but has lost much ground in Darfur and some question whether all his forces there remain loyal to him. Many of his allies have broken away to form their own factions.
Minnawi's forces have been accused of attacking, threatening and killing African Union peacekeepers in his areas in South Darfur as well as in AU head quarters in North Darfur.
The major factions have loose alliances and are in constant negotiations to form new coalitions.
Here are the major players:
* SLA - Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur - Nur has few troops left based in western Jabel Marra. But from Darfur's largest Fur tribe, he commands huge popular support especially in the camps housing more than 2 million people driven from their homes during the fighting. Nur, who is in France, refused to attend the Arusha talks.
* JEM - Khalil Ibrahim - Dogged by splits and with claims by JEM's military leadership that it has overthrown Ibrahim, which he denies, observers say JEM is not a significant power on the ground but is included to avoid the group acting as a spoiler. Ibrahim has been sanctioned by the United States for hindering the peace process. His group was represented at Arusha.
* Jar el-Neby and Suleiman Marajan - Based in North Darfur, these two are important figures with many troops in Darfur. They had wanted a commanders' unity conference before Arusha but decided to attend the meeting.
* SLA-Unity - Abdallah Yehia. Commanders include Ahmed Kubur in Darfur. SLA-Unity loosely encompasses other prominent SLA rebels including Sherif Harir. Yehia said Unity field commanders would not attend Arusha unless SLA Humanitarian Coordinator Suleiman Jamous was released.
* United Front for Liberation and Development - Khamis Abdallah. SLA figure Abdallah, who represented the UFLD at Arusha, and four other smaller factions formed a new umbrella group in Eritrea last month. Each faction alone counts for little on the ground, analysts say, but by virtue of the unification earned a seat at talks.
* Suleiman Jamous - The elderly Jamous has been virtually imprisoned in a U.N. hospital in Kordofan, a region neighbouring Darfur, for 13 months. All agree he is influential and respected among Darfuris and all rebel factions. Khartoum says if he leaves the U.N. building he will be arrested. Eleven prominent activists, including South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, wrote to Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to request his release. Jamous, the SLA humanitarian coordinator, was the liaison between rebels and the world's largest aid operation in Darfur until the United Nations airlifted him to Kordofan for medical treatment last year.
The African Union and United Nations called the Darfur meeting in Arusha, Tanzania to form a rebel consensus after a May 2006 peace deal was signed only by a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) led by Minni Arcua Minnawi.
Another SLA faction led by founder Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur and the Justice and Equality Movement headed by Khalil Ibrahim did not sign, despite intense international pressure.
The lack of support by other rebels undermined the agreement within days. The rebels have split into more than a dozen factions.
Minnawi became special assistant to Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, but has lost much ground in Darfur and some question whether all his forces there remain loyal to him. Many of his allies have broken away to form their own factions.
Minnawi's forces have been accused of attacking, threatening and killing African Union peacekeepers in his areas in South Darfur as well as in AU head quarters in North Darfur.
The major factions have loose alliances and are in constant negotiations to form new coalitions.
Here are the major players:
* SLA - Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur - Nur has few troops left based in western Jabel Marra. But from Darfur's largest Fur tribe, he commands huge popular support especially in the camps housing more than 2 million people driven from their homes during the fighting. Nur, who is in France, refused to attend the Arusha talks.
* JEM - Khalil Ibrahim - Dogged by splits and with claims by JEM's military leadership that it has overthrown Ibrahim, which he denies, observers say JEM is not a significant power on the ground but is included to avoid the group acting as a spoiler. Ibrahim has been sanctioned by the United States for hindering the peace process. His group was represented at Arusha.
* Jar el-Neby and Suleiman Marajan - Based in North Darfur, these two are important figures with many troops in Darfur. They had wanted a commanders' unity conference before Arusha but decided to attend the meeting.
* SLA-Unity - Abdallah Yehia. Commanders include Ahmed Kubur in Darfur. SLA-Unity loosely encompasses other prominent SLA rebels including Sherif Harir. Yehia said Unity field commanders would not attend Arusha unless SLA Humanitarian Coordinator Suleiman Jamous was released.
* United Front for Liberation and Development - Khamis Abdallah. SLA figure Abdallah, who represented the UFLD at Arusha, and four other smaller factions formed a new umbrella group in Eritrea last month. Each faction alone counts for little on the ground, analysts say, but by virtue of the unification earned a seat at talks.
* Suleiman Jamous - The elderly Jamous has been virtually imprisoned in a U.N. hospital in Kordofan, a region neighbouring Darfur, for 13 months. All agree he is influential and respected among Darfuris and all rebel factions. Khartoum says if he leaves the U.N. building he will be arrested. Eleven prominent activists, including South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, wrote to Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to request his release. Jamous, the SLA humanitarian coordinator, was the liaison between rebels and the world's largest aid operation in Darfur until the United Nations airlifted him to Kordofan for medical treatment last year.
North-south Sudan armies differ over oil areas
By Skye Wheeler
JUBA, Sudan, Aug 6 (Reuters) - A South Sudanese army official said on Monday that North Sudanese troops still in the south's vital oil areas were now "occupation forces" since they had not left the region as agreed under a 2005 peace deal.
He said his own southern forces had almost finished withdrawing from areas they had to leave under the accord.
The January 2005 deal created separate north and south armies, joint units for main towns and the sensitive oil areas and required both armies to redeploy either side of the 1956 north-south border by July 9, 2007.
But the northern Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) missed the redeployment deadline, and a senior U.N. official said most of the forces still in the south remained in the oil fields, where Sudan pumps some 500,000 barrels per day of crude.
Kuol Diem Kuol, spokesman for the southern Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), said:
"We are not happy. The SPLA is waiting for the orders from the southern Sudan security council on how to handle this issue of occupation forces."
Kuol said some 16,600 northern troops remained in the south's two largest oil-producing states and the still contested oil-rich Abyei area, which under the deal can choose whether to join the south or stay in the north by 2011.
"(They) are staying illegally in a territory that they're not supposed to be in," said Kuol.
The SPLA also missed the deadline to withdraw from two transitional areas, Southern Blue Nile and South Kordofan. The SPLA had said that was because the joint units, supposed to take over after their withdrawal, were not yet functioning.
But Kuol on Monday said that the SPLA were moving out of the two areas as per the peace deal.
"All the SPLA soldiers have withdrawn out of Blue Nile, except for a company of 120 soldiers," said Kuol.
He explained these soldiers were guarding tanks, anti-aircraft weapons and heavy artillery that cannot be transported into south Sudan because of heavy rains.
"Once it is dry we will move them into the south," said Kuol.
Similarly all of the SPLA's troops are currently moving out of South Kordofan State said Kuol, with less than 300 remaining to guard heavy artillery.
The two areas were now under the control of the joint north-south units, known as Joint Integrated Units (JIUs) but Kuol said there were some concerns that they were not yet able to deal with an uneasy security situation in South Kordofan.
"The militias are still active ... are not yet disarmed,. The whole population is not yet disarmed," said Kuol. "(It is) very dangerous".
"They are not trained together, they are not the JIU envisaged by the peace agreement," said Kuol about the units.
Last year 150 people were killed during clashes between the north and south armies in the southern town of Malakal, fighting sparked by northern-aligned militias.
The discovery of oil in south Sudan during the years of war further inflamed the conflict in which 2 million people died and some 4 million were displaced.
JUBA, Sudan, Aug 6 (Reuters) - A South Sudanese army official said on Monday that North Sudanese troops still in the south's vital oil areas were now "occupation forces" since they had not left the region as agreed under a 2005 peace deal.
He said his own southern forces had almost finished withdrawing from areas they had to leave under the accord.
The January 2005 deal created separate north and south armies, joint units for main towns and the sensitive oil areas and required both armies to redeploy either side of the 1956 north-south border by July 9, 2007.
But the northern Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) missed the redeployment deadline, and a senior U.N. official said most of the forces still in the south remained in the oil fields, where Sudan pumps some 500,000 barrels per day of crude.
Kuol Diem Kuol, spokesman for the southern Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), said:
"We are not happy. The SPLA is waiting for the orders from the southern Sudan security council on how to handle this issue of occupation forces."
Kuol said some 16,600 northern troops remained in the south's two largest oil-producing states and the still contested oil-rich Abyei area, which under the deal can choose whether to join the south or stay in the north by 2011.
"(They) are staying illegally in a territory that they're not supposed to be in," said Kuol.
The SPLA also missed the deadline to withdraw from two transitional areas, Southern Blue Nile and South Kordofan. The SPLA had said that was because the joint units, supposed to take over after their withdrawal, were not yet functioning.
But Kuol on Monday said that the SPLA were moving out of the two areas as per the peace deal.
"All the SPLA soldiers have withdrawn out of Blue Nile, except for a company of 120 soldiers," said Kuol.
He explained these soldiers were guarding tanks, anti-aircraft weapons and heavy artillery that cannot be transported into south Sudan because of heavy rains.
"Once it is dry we will move them into the south," said Kuol.
Similarly all of the SPLA's troops are currently moving out of South Kordofan State said Kuol, with less than 300 remaining to guard heavy artillery.
The two areas were now under the control of the joint north-south units, known as Joint Integrated Units (JIUs) but Kuol said there were some concerns that they were not yet able to deal with an uneasy security situation in South Kordofan.
"The militias are still active ... are not yet disarmed,. The whole population is not yet disarmed," said Kuol. "(It is) very dangerous".
"They are not trained together, they are not the JIU envisaged by the peace agreement," said Kuol about the units.
Last year 150 people were killed during clashes between the north and south armies in the southern town of Malakal, fighting sparked by northern-aligned militias.
The discovery of oil in south Sudan during the years of war further inflamed the conflict in which 2 million people died and some 4 million were displaced.
INTERVIEW-Rebel disorganisation delays east Sudan peace deal
By Jack Kimball
ASMARA, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Squabbling among east Sudanese rebels and disorganisation in their ranks are hampering implementation of a deal that ended a decade long insurgency, a former rebel leader said on Monday.
The Eastern Front took up arms against Khartoum in the 1990s, accusing it of neglect in an echo of the grievances expressed by insurgents in Sudan's west and south.
A peace deal mediated by neighbouring Eritrea ended the low-level revolt in October but internal divisions within the group, disputes over posts and lack of political structure have helped cause delays.
"The most important point is that when we started creating the Eastern Front, we didn't finish the hierarchy, the institutions and the political programme," said Amna Dirar, a senior Eastern Front official.
Since the deal, the Front has met in Eritrea -- which has hosted Sudanese opposition figures for years -- hoping to work out divisions over the allocation of positions.
"Self interest has also delayed the implementation of the agreement," Amna told Reuters by telephone. She said the Front planned to leave the Eritrean capital in mid-August.
The former rebels comprise the non-Arab Beja and the pure Arab Rashaidiya tribes.
A power-sharing clause in the peace deal gave the Front one junior minister in Khartoum, an assistant to the president, an adviser to the president and a number of parliamentary seats.
While government posts were decided based on an ethnic quota, divisions arose when fixing positions within the Front.
"Lacking any clear ideology or political agenda, the first fall-back position is ethnic or tribal loyalties ... it creates conflict," said an Asmara-based analyst.
The east is home to the nation's largest gold mine and Sudan's only port. Sudan's oil pipeline runs there, carrying 500,000 barrels per day of crude.
But it has one of the highest malnutrition rates in the country and has little development.
During the conflict, eastern rebels allied themselves with former southern rebels and those from Darfur. But after insurgents elsewhere signed peace deals with Khartoum, the eastern rebels found themselves in a weaker negotiating position.
ASMARA, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Squabbling among east Sudanese rebels and disorganisation in their ranks are hampering implementation of a deal that ended a decade long insurgency, a former rebel leader said on Monday.
The Eastern Front took up arms against Khartoum in the 1990s, accusing it of neglect in an echo of the grievances expressed by insurgents in Sudan's west and south.
A peace deal mediated by neighbouring Eritrea ended the low-level revolt in October but internal divisions within the group, disputes over posts and lack of political structure have helped cause delays.
"The most important point is that when we started creating the Eastern Front, we didn't finish the hierarchy, the institutions and the political programme," said Amna Dirar, a senior Eastern Front official.
Since the deal, the Front has met in Eritrea -- which has hosted Sudanese opposition figures for years -- hoping to work out divisions over the allocation of positions.
"Self interest has also delayed the implementation of the agreement," Amna told Reuters by telephone. She said the Front planned to leave the Eritrean capital in mid-August.
The former rebels comprise the non-Arab Beja and the pure Arab Rashaidiya tribes.
A power-sharing clause in the peace deal gave the Front one junior minister in Khartoum, an assistant to the president, an adviser to the president and a number of parliamentary seats.
While government posts were decided based on an ethnic quota, divisions arose when fixing positions within the Front.
"Lacking any clear ideology or political agenda, the first fall-back position is ethnic or tribal loyalties ... it creates conflict," said an Asmara-based analyst.
The east is home to the nation's largest gold mine and Sudan's only port. Sudan's oil pipeline runs there, carrying 500,000 barrels per day of crude.
But it has one of the highest malnutrition rates in the country and has little development.
During the conflict, eastern rebels allied themselves with former southern rebels and those from Darfur. But after insurgents elsewhere signed peace deals with Khartoum, the eastern rebels found themselves in a weaker negotiating position.
Darfur war crimes suspect has free rein despite ICC warrants
Monday 6 August 2007.
August 6, 2007 (AL-FASHER) — For a man accused of masterminding massacres, Ahmad Harun seems quite comfortable in the place he allegedly helped destroy.
Ahmed Mohamed Haroun
He strolls around the grassy compound belonging to the local governor in Sudan’s deeply troubled Darfur region, embracing Arab tribal leaders, soldiers and officials who have come to hear the president.
Harun, a tall 42-year-old with high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes, was in charge of the region’s security during the height of the violent attacks on farm villages that caused millions to flee their homes in 2003 and 2004. He allegedly recruited, funded and armed local militias to root out rebels who had attacked the Sudanese army, sweeping away their villages, families and the intricate fabric of Darfur’s identity along the way.
He publicly relished his command, telling an open meeting of hundreds of officials, tribesmen and soldiers in West Darfur in July 2003 that he had been given "the power and authority to kill or forgive whoever in Darfur."
The rebels are like fish, Harun told a Sudanese committee that was investigating alleged war crimes in 2004, and "the villages are like water to fish." The objective, he suggested, was to eliminate the water.
And yet, on this day three years later, Harun glides unhindered and unapologetic through the parched remains of Darfur. In fact, he is the minister of state for humanitarian affairs in charge of caring for the very people he is accused of displacing. That he holds such a post says much about the limits of international power to cope with a festering crisis.
In May, the Hague-based International Criminal Court charged him and a pro-government militia leader, Ali Mohammed Ali Abdalrahman, better known as Ali Kushayb, with war crimes and crimes against humanity. But Sudan has rejected the arrest warrants, saying that the country is not a signatory to the court and that the charges against Harun are false.
Instead of being put behind bars, as the court asked, Harun still has the power to decide who lives and dies in Darfur. And without Sudan’s cooperation, there is almost nothing the court can do to bring him to justice.
"It is absolutely unacceptable," complained chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, whose team carefully built the case against Harun through interviews with refugees, tribal leaders, colleagues and enemies.
"Harun has to be removed from office, arrested and sent to the court," Moreno-Ocampo said in an interview. "Allowing him to be the humanitarian minister is like putting the fox in front of the chickens."
The trouble, experts say, is that asking the government to hand him over is asking it to indict itself. And charging those with the true responsibility for Darfur means targeting the only ones able to guarantee peace: the president and vice president.
"Harun has been interrogated about the allegations, and there is no case," said Interior Minister Zubeir Bashir Taha, a senior Cabinet minister who also oversees Darfur. "The evidence does not stand scrutiny, and whether it does or not, it is a matter for Sudan to decide and act upon. The prosecutor has no jurisdiction here. He is an intruder."
Further, Moreno-Ocampo’s desire for swift justice competes with the aims of other U.N. bodies trying to bring peace to Darfur. The Security Council can demand that Khartoum make the arrests or face sanctions, but it is also trying to gain the government’s acceptance of a 26,000-strong peacekeeping force for Darfur as well as its cooperation in peace talks.
So the court must rely on the government of Sudan to surrender Harun unless the Security Council were to order U.N. officials to arrest him — a move likely to get U.N. peacekeepers and aid workers tossed out of the country.
The choice does not have to be between peace or justice. The two are intertwined — but perhaps the most effective tool is time, Moreno-Ocampo says. He has translated the indictment into Arabic, in a booklet to take with him on his rounds of neighboring countries, explaining the court and drumming up support to keep an eye on Harun. Sooner or later, Moreno-Ocampo says, circumstances will change or Harun will make a misstep.
"This is normal, this is the process, it will take time," he says. "I don’t know if it will take months or years, but Harun’s destiny is the court."
That’s not Harun’s view. Clad in a khaki safari suit that keeps him cool in the 100-degree Darfur heat, Harun wears his knowledge of the court’s impotence like armor.
"Who gave the ICC this right?" he asks. "It is a matter of politics. It is not an issue of justice."
He denies the allegations that he worked with the militias known as janjaweed to attack villages, and says that he will never go to The Hague to answer the charges. "We are not signatories" to the court, and neither is the United States, he says.
"When you sign, we are going to follow. You go first," he says with a high-pitched guffaw.
Harun faces 42 counts of individual criminal responsibility, including murder, rape, persecution and forcible transfer of population. Militia leader Ali Kushayb, who is accused of participating in the attacks and killing civilians, is charged with 50 counts.
Moreno-Ocampo deliberately chose the two to illuminate how, he believes, the government worked hand in hand with militias to commit massive crimes against civilians not involved in the conflict.
Although the court must rely on Sudan to hand the men over, if either sets foot outside the country, any police officer or Interpol official can nab him. Harun was getting medical treatment in Jordan when the court first named him as a key suspect, causing him to flee home.
Although Harun maintains a high profile at home, the indictment has had an effect. When he addressed a crowd soon after the indictments, a whispered chant rippled through the audience: "Janjaweed, janjaweed." He avoids reporters. But he laughs and jokes with tribal leaders who have come to see the president on a government show tour of Darfur. Many of the leaders have been government allies; some of them are testing the winds.
One Arab tribal chief gives a tight smile when asked whether Harun is really innocent, as he claims. The leader shakes his head, then looks around and lowers his voice. "It is not as he says, and everyone knows what he has done. He will be sacrificed, if he hasn’t been already. He knows he may have little time." One Khartoum insider predicts he will have an "accident" within a year.
For Harun, the time for talking about the international court is up. Instead, he says he wants to talk about the government’s humanitarian work in Darfur.
"The situation in general, based on humanitarian indicators, is good," he says. "There is full humanitarian access, the fast-track systems are functioning." When asked whether he feels a special responsibility for the people in the camps, a slow smile spreads over his face.
"They are our people," he says with a grand gesture toward the ruined land, "and we are taking care of them."
(LA Times)
August 6, 2007 (AL-FASHER) — For a man accused of masterminding massacres, Ahmad Harun seems quite comfortable in the place he allegedly helped destroy.
Ahmed Mohamed Haroun
He strolls around the grassy compound belonging to the local governor in Sudan’s deeply troubled Darfur region, embracing Arab tribal leaders, soldiers and officials who have come to hear the president.
Harun, a tall 42-year-old with high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes, was in charge of the region’s security during the height of the violent attacks on farm villages that caused millions to flee their homes in 2003 and 2004. He allegedly recruited, funded and armed local militias to root out rebels who had attacked the Sudanese army, sweeping away their villages, families and the intricate fabric of Darfur’s identity along the way.
He publicly relished his command, telling an open meeting of hundreds of officials, tribesmen and soldiers in West Darfur in July 2003 that he had been given "the power and authority to kill or forgive whoever in Darfur."
The rebels are like fish, Harun told a Sudanese committee that was investigating alleged war crimes in 2004, and "the villages are like water to fish." The objective, he suggested, was to eliminate the water.
And yet, on this day three years later, Harun glides unhindered and unapologetic through the parched remains of Darfur. In fact, he is the minister of state for humanitarian affairs in charge of caring for the very people he is accused of displacing. That he holds such a post says much about the limits of international power to cope with a festering crisis.
In May, the Hague-based International Criminal Court charged him and a pro-government militia leader, Ali Mohammed Ali Abdalrahman, better known as Ali Kushayb, with war crimes and crimes against humanity. But Sudan has rejected the arrest warrants, saying that the country is not a signatory to the court and that the charges against Harun are false.
Instead of being put behind bars, as the court asked, Harun still has the power to decide who lives and dies in Darfur. And without Sudan’s cooperation, there is almost nothing the court can do to bring him to justice.
"It is absolutely unacceptable," complained chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, whose team carefully built the case against Harun through interviews with refugees, tribal leaders, colleagues and enemies.
"Harun has to be removed from office, arrested and sent to the court," Moreno-Ocampo said in an interview. "Allowing him to be the humanitarian minister is like putting the fox in front of the chickens."
The trouble, experts say, is that asking the government to hand him over is asking it to indict itself. And charging those with the true responsibility for Darfur means targeting the only ones able to guarantee peace: the president and vice president.
"Harun has been interrogated about the allegations, and there is no case," said Interior Minister Zubeir Bashir Taha, a senior Cabinet minister who also oversees Darfur. "The evidence does not stand scrutiny, and whether it does or not, it is a matter for Sudan to decide and act upon. The prosecutor has no jurisdiction here. He is an intruder."
Further, Moreno-Ocampo’s desire for swift justice competes with the aims of other U.N. bodies trying to bring peace to Darfur. The Security Council can demand that Khartoum make the arrests or face sanctions, but it is also trying to gain the government’s acceptance of a 26,000-strong peacekeeping force for Darfur as well as its cooperation in peace talks.
So the court must rely on the government of Sudan to surrender Harun unless the Security Council were to order U.N. officials to arrest him — a move likely to get U.N. peacekeepers and aid workers tossed out of the country.
The choice does not have to be between peace or justice. The two are intertwined — but perhaps the most effective tool is time, Moreno-Ocampo says. He has translated the indictment into Arabic, in a booklet to take with him on his rounds of neighboring countries, explaining the court and drumming up support to keep an eye on Harun. Sooner or later, Moreno-Ocampo says, circumstances will change or Harun will make a misstep.
"This is normal, this is the process, it will take time," he says. "I don’t know if it will take months or years, but Harun’s destiny is the court."
That’s not Harun’s view. Clad in a khaki safari suit that keeps him cool in the 100-degree Darfur heat, Harun wears his knowledge of the court’s impotence like armor.
"Who gave the ICC this right?" he asks. "It is a matter of politics. It is not an issue of justice."
He denies the allegations that he worked with the militias known as janjaweed to attack villages, and says that he will never go to The Hague to answer the charges. "We are not signatories" to the court, and neither is the United States, he says.
"When you sign, we are going to follow. You go first," he says with a high-pitched guffaw.
Harun faces 42 counts of individual criminal responsibility, including murder, rape, persecution and forcible transfer of population. Militia leader Ali Kushayb, who is accused of participating in the attacks and killing civilians, is charged with 50 counts.
Moreno-Ocampo deliberately chose the two to illuminate how, he believes, the government worked hand in hand with militias to commit massive crimes against civilians not involved in the conflict.
Although the court must rely on Sudan to hand the men over, if either sets foot outside the country, any police officer or Interpol official can nab him. Harun was getting medical treatment in Jordan when the court first named him as a key suspect, causing him to flee home.
Although Harun maintains a high profile at home, the indictment has had an effect. When he addressed a crowd soon after the indictments, a whispered chant rippled through the audience: "Janjaweed, janjaweed." He avoids reporters. But he laughs and jokes with tribal leaders who have come to see the president on a government show tour of Darfur. Many of the leaders have been government allies; some of them are testing the winds.
One Arab tribal chief gives a tight smile when asked whether Harun is really innocent, as he claims. The leader shakes his head, then looks around and lowers his voice. "It is not as he says, and everyone knows what he has done. He will be sacrificed, if he hasn’t been already. He knows he may have little time." One Khartoum insider predicts he will have an "accident" within a year.
For Harun, the time for talking about the international court is up. Instead, he says he wants to talk about the government’s humanitarian work in Darfur.
"The situation in general, based on humanitarian indicators, is good," he says. "There is full humanitarian access, the fast-track systems are functioning." When asked whether he feels a special responsibility for the people in the camps, a slow smile spreads over his face.
"They are our people," he says with a grand gesture toward the ruined land, "and we are taking care of them."
(LA Times)
TEXT: Conclusions of Darfur rebels’ consultations in Arusha
Monday 6 August 2007.
August 6, 2007 (ARUSHA, Tanzania) — Below the full text of the Chairmen’s Conclusions from the Arusha consultations issued by the AU-UN- special envoy for Darfur on Monday at the end of the three day meeting for Darfur rebel groups.
At the invitation of the AU and the UN Special envoys for Darfur, Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim and Mr. Jan Eliasson, leading personalities of the Darfur Movements held consultations in Ngurdoto, Arusha Tanzania, from 3 to 6 August 2007. The regional countries Chad, Egypt, Eritrea and Libya also participated in the meeting. Several Field Commanders were also present.
The Arusha meeting aimed at creating an enabling environment for the non-signatories to meet and consult amongst themselves, with other participants and the Special Envoys in order to facilitate the preparations for the negotiations.
The discussions focussed on the following issue: (a) Need for a common negotiation platform of the Movements for the resumed talks.; (b) Criteria and level of participation in the final negotiations; (c) Agenda and venue for the renewed talks (d) inclusions of the concerns of IDPs refugees, tribal leaders, women and other civil society groups and (e) Security and humanitarian matters.
The meeting stressed that the conflict in Darfur can have no military solution and that a political solution is of utmost urgency.
The Representatives of Darfur Movements present:
I. Reaffirmed their commitment to the Road-Map of the Special Envoys for reenergising the political process;
II. Expressed their commitment and readiness to fully participate in the forthcoming negotiations under the leadership of the AU/UN in partnership with regional actors, and with the support of the support of the international community.
III. Presented a common platform on power sharing, wealth sharing, security arrangements, land/hawakeer and humanitarian issues, for the final negotiations. The also recommended that final talks should be held between 2-3 moths from now in countries of the regional initiatives or in any other country that the mediation considers suitable in terms of environment and facilities, to ensure the success of the negotiations.
IV. Decided to keep open the possibility for those who were invited but did not participated in the Arusha Consultations, to join their common platform, in order to have an inclusive representation of the movements in the final negotiations;
V. Reiterated their readiness to respect a complete cessation of hostilities provided that all other Parties make similar commitments;
VI. Expressed their commitment to allow free access to humanitarian aid agencies, to refrain from any act of hostilities against the personnel and the assets of African Mission in the Sudan (AMIS), as well as against humanitarian organisations in Darfur.
VII. Welcomed the adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1769 on 31 July 2007, which authorised the deployment of the Hybrid Operation and expressed support for the ongoing political process. They also pledged their full co-operation for the implementation of the Hybrid Operation, bearing in mind that it would contribute to ending violence and insecurity on the ground.
VIII. Urged the Special envoy to continue and finalize their consultations with IDPs, refugees, traditional leaders and civil society organisations, including women’s groups in an effort to develop a mechanism to channel their views and positions into-the final negotiations.
The Special envoys welcomed their common positions as an important development in the preparations for the negotiations. They also commended the representatives of the movements.
With respect to the issues relating to negotiations, inter alia, venue, timing and cessation of hostilities, the Special Envoys will consult the Government of the Sudan and other stakeholders, bearing in mind the views expressed by the representatives pf the movements.
During the Consultations, the representatives of the movements expressed their concern over the situation of Mr. Suleiman Jamous. The Special Envoy recalled that they had taken up this issue on several occasions with the Government of the Sudan. They expressed their intention to pursue the matter in view of the role of Mr. Jamous can play in the political process.
The participants expressed gratitude and appreciation to the Government and People of the United Republic of Tanzania for hosting the meeting and for the generous hospitality extended to the participants.
Ngurdoto, Arusha, 6 August 2007.
August 6, 2007 (ARUSHA, Tanzania) — Below the full text of the Chairmen’s Conclusions from the Arusha consultations issued by the AU-UN- special envoy for Darfur on Monday at the end of the three day meeting for Darfur rebel groups.
At the invitation of the AU and the UN Special envoys for Darfur, Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim and Mr. Jan Eliasson, leading personalities of the Darfur Movements held consultations in Ngurdoto, Arusha Tanzania, from 3 to 6 August 2007. The regional countries Chad, Egypt, Eritrea and Libya also participated in the meeting. Several Field Commanders were also present.
The Arusha meeting aimed at creating an enabling environment for the non-signatories to meet and consult amongst themselves, with other participants and the Special Envoys in order to facilitate the preparations for the negotiations.
The discussions focussed on the following issue: (a) Need for a common negotiation platform of the Movements for the resumed talks.; (b) Criteria and level of participation in the final negotiations; (c) Agenda and venue for the renewed talks (d) inclusions of the concerns of IDPs refugees, tribal leaders, women and other civil society groups and (e) Security and humanitarian matters.
The meeting stressed that the conflict in Darfur can have no military solution and that a political solution is of utmost urgency.
The Representatives of Darfur Movements present:
I. Reaffirmed their commitment to the Road-Map of the Special Envoys for reenergising the political process;
II. Expressed their commitment and readiness to fully participate in the forthcoming negotiations under the leadership of the AU/UN in partnership with regional actors, and with the support of the support of the international community.
III. Presented a common platform on power sharing, wealth sharing, security arrangements, land/hawakeer and humanitarian issues, for the final negotiations. The also recommended that final talks should be held between 2-3 moths from now in countries of the regional initiatives or in any other country that the mediation considers suitable in terms of environment and facilities, to ensure the success of the negotiations.
IV. Decided to keep open the possibility for those who were invited but did not participated in the Arusha Consultations, to join their common platform, in order to have an inclusive representation of the movements in the final negotiations;
V. Reiterated their readiness to respect a complete cessation of hostilities provided that all other Parties make similar commitments;
VI. Expressed their commitment to allow free access to humanitarian aid agencies, to refrain from any act of hostilities against the personnel and the assets of African Mission in the Sudan (AMIS), as well as against humanitarian organisations in Darfur.
VII. Welcomed the adoption of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1769 on 31 July 2007, which authorised the deployment of the Hybrid Operation and expressed support for the ongoing political process. They also pledged their full co-operation for the implementation of the Hybrid Operation, bearing in mind that it would contribute to ending violence and insecurity on the ground.
VIII. Urged the Special envoy to continue and finalize their consultations with IDPs, refugees, traditional leaders and civil society organisations, including women’s groups in an effort to develop a mechanism to channel their views and positions into-the final negotiations.
The Special envoys welcomed their common positions as an important development in the preparations for the negotiations. They also commended the representatives of the movements.
With respect to the issues relating to negotiations, inter alia, venue, timing and cessation of hostilities, the Special Envoys will consult the Government of the Sudan and other stakeholders, bearing in mind the views expressed by the representatives pf the movements.
During the Consultations, the representatives of the movements expressed their concern over the situation of Mr. Suleiman Jamous. The Special Envoy recalled that they had taken up this issue on several occasions with the Government of the Sudan. They expressed their intention to pursue the matter in view of the role of Mr. Jamous can play in the political process.
The participants expressed gratitude and appreciation to the Government and People of the United Republic of Tanzania for hosting the meeting and for the generous hospitality extended to the participants.
Ngurdoto, Arusha, 6 August 2007.
Darfur's rebel groups reach deal
Most of Darfur's rebel groups have agreed on a common position and want "final" talks with Sudan's government within two or three months.
The eight factions have been in talks since Friday to end their divisions - seen as a major factor in the failure to end the four-year conflict.
However, one of the key rebel leaders boycotted the meeting in Tanzania.
The agreement follows last week's decision to send 26,000 UN and African Union peacekeepers to Darfur.
The factions had reached a "common platform on power-sharing, wealth-sharing, security arrangements, land and humanitarian issues, for the final negotiations", they said in a statement.
BBC East Africa correspondent Karen Allen says details of the platforms are being presented in a confidential document, which will now be taken to Khartoum to set an agenda for revived peace talks.
Optimism
Special UN envoy to Darfur Jan Eliasson told the BBC the agreement was an important step forward.
"One of the main problems we have had to reach negotiations has been the split and the splintering among the rebel movement," he said, adding that he was on his way to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, for discussions with the government.
International Crisis Group analyst Hannah Stogdon told Reuters news agency that it depended on who would represent the rebels in talks with the government.
HAVE YOUR SAY
All I need to see is the joint AU and UN forces in Darfur protecting the people
Kulang, Juba, Sudan
"If they can agree on that publicly, that is a good sign."
Rebel leader Ahmed Hussein said the deal would "pave the way for a meaningful and positive new political process to solve the root causes of the conflict in Darfur".
The talks in Arusha were due to end on Sunday but were extended by a day.
One of the key rebel leaders, Abdul Wahid Mohammad Ahmed al-Nur, of the major faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement, boycotted the talks, saying a ceasefire should be agreed before political talks.
Common denominator
The African Union special envoy to Darfur, Salim Ahmed Salim, told the BBC that Mr Nur should take the current opportunity to put aside his differences and join the peace process.
"We are now at the pre-negotiation level, and we hope that the negotiations will begin within the period of two months."
KEY REBEL PLAYERS
SLM: Minni Minnawi's faction signed 2006 peace deal
SLM: Abdul Wahid Mohammad Ahmed al-Nur's faction rejected peace deal
Jem: Khalil Ibrahim, one of the first rebel groups, rejected deal
Rebel negotiator: Suleiman Jamous
SLM Unity: Abdallah Yehia
UFLD: recently formed umbrella group including SLM commanders
Other breakaway SLM commanders: Mahjoub Hussein, Jar el-Neby and Suleiman Marajan
There are estimated to be more than 13 rebel factions in Darfur
"It is not seen as logical to have the government of Sudan negotiating with 10 or 15 difference factions, so we have encouraged all the participants at the Arusha meeting to... find a minimum common denominator among themselves," he said.
At least 200,000 people are believed to have died and more than two million have been left homeless since 2003.
Sudan's government and pro-government Arab Janjaweed militias are accused of war crimes against the region's black African population, although the UN has stopped short of calling it genocide.
The talks follow last week's UN Security Council resolution to send 26,000 peacekeepers to Darfur.
Though the fighters in Arusha have welcomed the announcement that more peacekeepers will be deployed, they know that a political solution is the only way forward, says BBC Africa analyst David Bamford.
After months of wrangling, Sudan agreed to the UN resolution after it was watered down.
(BBC)
The eight factions have been in talks since Friday to end their divisions - seen as a major factor in the failure to end the four-year conflict.
However, one of the key rebel leaders boycotted the meeting in Tanzania.
The agreement follows last week's decision to send 26,000 UN and African Union peacekeepers to Darfur.
The factions had reached a "common platform on power-sharing, wealth-sharing, security arrangements, land and humanitarian issues, for the final negotiations", they said in a statement.
BBC East Africa correspondent Karen Allen says details of the platforms are being presented in a confidential document, which will now be taken to Khartoum to set an agenda for revived peace talks.
Optimism
Special UN envoy to Darfur Jan Eliasson told the BBC the agreement was an important step forward.
"One of the main problems we have had to reach negotiations has been the split and the splintering among the rebel movement," he said, adding that he was on his way to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, for discussions with the government.
International Crisis Group analyst Hannah Stogdon told Reuters news agency that it depended on who would represent the rebels in talks with the government.
HAVE YOUR SAY
All I need to see is the joint AU and UN forces in Darfur protecting the people
Kulang, Juba, Sudan
"If they can agree on that publicly, that is a good sign."
Rebel leader Ahmed Hussein said the deal would "pave the way for a meaningful and positive new political process to solve the root causes of the conflict in Darfur".
The talks in Arusha were due to end on Sunday but were extended by a day.
One of the key rebel leaders, Abdul Wahid Mohammad Ahmed al-Nur, of the major faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement, boycotted the talks, saying a ceasefire should be agreed before political talks.
Common denominator
The African Union special envoy to Darfur, Salim Ahmed Salim, told the BBC that Mr Nur should take the current opportunity to put aside his differences and join the peace process.
"We are now at the pre-negotiation level, and we hope that the negotiations will begin within the period of two months."
KEY REBEL PLAYERS
SLM: Minni Minnawi's faction signed 2006 peace deal
SLM: Abdul Wahid Mohammad Ahmed al-Nur's faction rejected peace deal
Jem: Khalil Ibrahim, one of the first rebel groups, rejected deal
Rebel negotiator: Suleiman Jamous
SLM Unity: Abdallah Yehia
UFLD: recently formed umbrella group including SLM commanders
Other breakaway SLM commanders: Mahjoub Hussein, Jar el-Neby and Suleiman Marajan
There are estimated to be more than 13 rebel factions in Darfur
"It is not seen as logical to have the government of Sudan negotiating with 10 or 15 difference factions, so we have encouraged all the participants at the Arusha meeting to... find a minimum common denominator among themselves," he said.
At least 200,000 people are believed to have died and more than two million have been left homeless since 2003.
Sudan's government and pro-government Arab Janjaweed militias are accused of war crimes against the region's black African population, although the UN has stopped short of calling it genocide.
The talks follow last week's UN Security Council resolution to send 26,000 peacekeepers to Darfur.
Though the fighters in Arusha have welcomed the announcement that more peacekeepers will be deployed, they know that a political solution is the only way forward, says BBC Africa analyst David Bamford.
After months of wrangling, Sudan agreed to the UN resolution after it was watered down.
(BBC)
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