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| Africa: Horn |
| Sudan, Rebels May Reach Darfur Agreement |
| 2004-11-01 |
| Sudan expressed optimism Sunday on reaching a long-term political solution to the crisis in its Darfur region after listening to a rebel group's proposals. The smaller of the two rebel groups represented at the African Union-brokered talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja made a "declaration of principles" at a session on Sunday, calling for greater representation at the national level and more local powers for Darfur. The Justice and Equality Movement's proposals went further than plans presented earlier in the week by the government. Justice and Equality Movement spokesman Ahmed Hussain Adam said his group's proposals concentrated "on the real issues: the political marginalization, the economic marginalization and the social marginalization" of ethnic groups from Darfur. He said the government's proposals for transferring powers to Darfur's three states — including their own elected parliaments — were "empty statements." He called for Darfur's ethnic groups to be represented in Sudan's presidency, and for the restructuring of the army and the civil service to include more people from Darfur and other regions. "I think the demands being made are all reasonable and acceptable," said Abdel Rahim Kalil, the Sudanese ambassador to Nigeria and a member of Sudan's delegation at the talks. "We believe all the regions of Sudan need to be adequately represented at the federal level," he added. |
| Posted by:Fred |