Darfur’s Rebels Should Unite Ahead of Peace Talks, U.S. Says

08/21/09 | Bloomberg

By Moyiga Nduru

Rebel movements in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region should unite ahead of talks with the government to promote a single message, U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, said.

“Civil society must also speak up so that their voices are heard on issues related to land reform, elections and human rights,” Graton told reporters in the Southern Sudan capital, Juba, yesterday before heading to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to participate in Darfur unity talks between the government and rebels groups following frequent clashes in the region.

“The United States is working with all parties to get peace in Darfur, he said. ‘‘Conditions are dire there. We have committed ourselves to resolving them.’’

The Darfur conflict erupted in 2003, when rebels began a full-scale insurgency against the government, complaining of marginalization and seeking a greater share of the country’s oil wealth and political power. The UN estimates as many as 300,000 people have died during the conflict, mostly of war-related disease and starvation. The government says the figures are exaggerated and puts the death toll at 10,000.