“We will continue the talks at the end of this 24 hours,” said Tugod

ABUJA, August 29 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Darfur's two rebel groups said Saturday night, August 28, they would boycott African Union-led peace talks with Sudanese officials for one day in protest at alleged recent attacks on civilians by government forces.

Meanwhile, the UN envoy in Sudan said the humanitarian conditions in camps for displaced people in Sudan 's West Darfur state have improved, days before reporting to the UN Security Council.

“As a result of these serious violations the SLM/SLA and JEM movement have decided to boycott the talks for 24 hours in protest over the continuous attacks that result in many civilian casualties,” they said in a statement carried by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Ahmad Mohammad Tugod, a spokesman for the Justice and Equality Movement, said the pause in the six-day-old talks would allow the rebels to “mourn the people who have been killed this morning, yesterday and the day before.

“We will continue the talks at the end of this 24 hours,” he added.

Shereef Harir, chief negotiator of the Sudan Liberation Movement and its armed wing the Sudan Liberation Army, confirmed his group would also stay away, effectively canceling what would have been the talks' fifth full session.

Sudanese government officials and the two rebel groups from the war-torn Darfur region began a round of peace talks organized by the African Union Monday, August 23, but have thus far made little more than symbolic progress.

Both sides accuse each other of breaching a ceasefire signed on April 9.

The rebels agreed Wednesday, August 25, to accept all agenda for peace talks with the Khartoum government, following brief suspension, despite reservations to a clause asking for their disarmament.

AU Investigation

African Union (AU) commission chairman Alpha Oumar Konare Saturday urged the Khartoum government and Darfur rebels to remain engaged in peace talks, asking ceasefire monitors in Darfur to investigate the alleged attack which rebel leaders claim left 64 civilians dead.

Konare said in a statement, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, that dialogue was the only way to end the conflict in the region of western Sudan

“Political dialogue is the only option for the Sudanese out of the current impasse,” Konare said, urging both parties to implement “in good faith” the ceasefire agreement signed in April in Chad .

Khartoum , however, denies knowledge of the alleged raid.

“We regret the withdrawal of our brothers on the other side on the basis of claims of attack,” said Sudan 's deputy foreign minister Najeib Abdulwad.

Conditions Improving

“The humanitarian situation ... nutrition, food and health among the IDPs has stabilized in the camps,” said Pronk

Meanwhile, the United Nations envoy in Sudan said Saturday that the humanitarian conditions in camps for displaced people in Sudan 's West Darfur state have improved.

“The humanitarian situation ... nutrition, food and health among the IDPs (Internally Displaced People) has stabilized in the camps. The food situation is better, there is no increase in the mortality rate,” Jan Pronk told reporters in West Darfur state capital Geneina.

Jan Pronk will report to the UN Security Council in New York Monday, August 30, on whether Khartoum has done enough to improve the humanitarian and security situation in Darfur to avoid further Security Council action.

Before leaving for New York, Pronk will meet two UN teams investigating conditions in the other two states that make up the region the size of France.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Othman Ismail, who was speaking at the same news conference, said he hoped the Security Council would acknowledge Khartoum's efforts.

“My hope is that the Security Council will acknowledge what we are doing which will lead to further cooperation and coordination with the Security Council,” he said.

The embattled Khartoum government signed on August 21 an agreement with the United Nations to ensure the voluntary return of displaced Darfuris to their homes.

The UNSC threatened Sudan on July 31 with punitive measures if it failed to rein in the Arab militias Janjaweed within one month.

More than 10,000 people are said to have died in Darfur since the revolt against the government broke out among indigenous ethnic minorities in February 2003.

The United Nations has labeled the 16-month-old conflict as the world's worst current humanitarian crisis, amid mixed reports putting the number of people killed at 10,000 to 50,000 and over one million forced to flee their homes. 

But Dr. Hussein Gezairy, Regional Director of World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Region, told IslamOnline.net on July 29 that the situation in the restive area did not amount to genocide or ethnic cleansing as claimed.