Thursday, January 17, 2008

Update: UNAMID negotiates with Sudanese Government

Brede Eschilman

Diplomatically:
On Tuesday, officials from UNAMID met with Sudanese government officials in Khartoum to negotiate terms for the operations of the force, including the composition of its troops.  UN and AU special envoys Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim arrived in Khartoum at the same time.

One rebel group, SLA Unity, has agreed to meet with envoys for preliminary unity talks among rebel factions in preparation for peace negotiations.  JEM has refused to participate in the talks, citing as reason the participation of smaller rebel groups.

On the ground:

Humanitarian workers have claimed two bombings near El Geneina in Darfur.  This, in combination with increased violence in the area from Chadian forces, has made El Geneina inaccessible to aid workers.

Amnesty International has claimed that the rebel faction led by Abdel Wahid Nur, founder of the SLA, has kidnapped 17 people due to the kidnapped persons’ support of the unity talks with the UN and AU special envoys.