| To me, that sounds like step one... |
One of the main rebel groups in the Darfur region of western Sudan has asked the African Union to send peacekeeping forces to the area with a mandate to disarm Janjaweed militias. Abd al-Wahid Muhammad Ahmad Nur, chairman of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), said in a statement on Sunday that peacekeepers should replace AU observers sent only to monitor a ceasefire agreed upon in April.African leaders were meeting in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on Sunday, with the Darfur conflict a major agenda item. The humanitarian coordinator of the SLM, Sulayman Adam Jamus, accused government forces of violating a much-abused ceasefire by bombing two villages on Saturday in South Darfur state, southeast of the capital Nyala. He said that all 450 villagers fled their homes, which were burned to the ground. One person was killed, six were wounded and many were still missing, he added. AU officials said they were checking the reports.