Sudan agrees to "historic" talks on Darfur-Egeland

An agreement to hold renewed talks among all parties to Darfur's conflict brings a historic opportunity to end fighting which has killed 200,000, the UN humanitarian chief said yesterday.

A meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Thursday agreed that a May peace signed by only one of three rebel factions was inadequate and a new process should be activated under joint leadership of the UN and African Union (AU).

UN humanitarian co-ordinator Jan Egeland said the Addis agreement was a turning point that should be seized to negotiate an inclusive peace respected by Darfuris, many of whom feel the May deal was inadequate.

The Sudan government and the rebel group which signed the May deal have so far refused any changes to the accord.

Egeland said there was also agreement in Addis on an effective force to protect civilians, which an African Union force has failed to do, citing lack of equipment and a weak mandate.

A meeting of all the parties to the conflict should be arranged in the coming weeks, the communiqué said.

But analysts were more sceptical. "Not very much has been actually agreed as yet - all the key questions in terms of forces, mandate and participation of UN. troops remain unclear," said Sudan expert Dave Mozersky of the think tank International Crisis Group.

A Sudanese official in Darfur said the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) had not been expelled, contradicting comments this week by another official that it had.

"That's not correct - we have a good relationship with IOM," the official from the government Humanitarian Aid Commission told Reuters.

Egeland said contradictory statements from government officials were hindering the world's largest aid operation.

The AU, which has a force of monitors and troops in Darfur, yesterday condemned government bombing of rebel areas, which they said took a "heavy toll on the civilian population".

In a statement, the AU said Sudan had attacked the Bir Mazza area with militia on Wednesday and Thursday, calling it a "flagrant violation" of the May accord.