SUDAN: Darfur rebels yesterday rejected calls to disarm before a political solution to the Sudanese conflict.
At talks mediated by the African Union in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, the Sudanese government agreed to enlarge an AU force in Darfur region as long as it helped confine rebels to their bases, while Sudanese forces would disarm Arab militias known as Janjaweed.
The British Foreign Secretary Mr Jack Straw said his country was willing to provide more money for AU military operations in Darfur. Sudan has already agreed to 300 AU forces to protect 100 observers of a shaky ceasefire.
But rebels said they would not disarm until a political solution, including power and wealth sharing, is implemented.
"This is impossible. No rebel movement can accept to disarm before a political settlement," said Bahar Idriss Abu Garda, secretary-general of the Justice and Equality Movement, speaking by telephone from Darfur.
"And we must be clear, not just after political agreement but after it is achieved - however long it takes," Mr Garda said, adding that his movement was seeking a deal for Darfur similar to one aimed at ending 21 years of war in southern Sudan.
Mr Alex Vines, of the British Institute for International Affairs, said: "It is sensible for the AU to provide a protection force now because it is quicker than a political solution. The humanitarian crisis cannot wait a year."
The Nigerian talks are aimed at ending a conflict that began with a rebel offensive in February 2003 after years of low-level conflict between Arab nomads and mainly African farmers over scarce resources.
Since then, more than a million Darfuris have fled their homes for fear of attack by Arab militia mobilised by the government as auxiliaries in a campaign to crush the rebels.
In what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, up to 50,000 people have been killed.
The Security Council has set an August 30th deadline for the government to improve security for refugees and start disarming Janjaweed militias or face possible sanctions.
UN envoy Jan Pronk on a joint tour with Sudanese officials met Darfuri displaced. Mr Pronk heard stories of rape and continued violence. Refugees also told him Janjaweed had been absorbed into security squads charged with protecting refugees, who said: "There is no security in the camps. There are still disturbances. There are still rapes."
The Abuja talks adjourned until tomorrow.