AU may sanction violators of ceasefire pact on Darfur
AS peace talks over the crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan continues in Abuja, the chairman of the African Union - sponsored parleys, Sam Ibok, has canvassed sanctions against violators of the ceasefire agreement.
According to Ibok, continued violations in ceasefire agreement are damaging the fragile peace process.
Despite a positive end to earlier discussions, the mood has been soured by renewed violence.
"We take strong exceptions and we are hoping that we will move into a situation... whereby measures or sanctions can be put in place for those who violate the agreements," he said.
Recently, the U.S. said international efforts to tackle the crisis were "getting nowhere".
The U.S. ambassador to the UN, John Danforth, said all sides in the conflict shared responsibility for the violence.
The civil conflict began in early 2003, when rebel groups accusing Khartoum of neglecting the region began attacking government targets.
The government responded by mobilising Arab militias, which have been accused of widespread atrocities.
More than two million people have been made homeless because of the violence.
Last month, delegates at the peace talks signed two documents pledging to improve security in Darfur and guarantee humanitarian access to civilians caught up in the crisis.
An observer said in Abuja there was hope that this move would be a real step forward.
According to her, the success or failure of the current round of talks also has implications for credibility of AU itself and its promise of African solutions to African problems.
However, despite both remaining hopeful that a peaceful settlement can be reached, neither the government nor the rebels appear to be in a conciliatory mood, she added.
Negotiators from the groups battling in Sudan's Darfur region opened their latest round of peace talks at the weekend, with African mediators imploring the government and rebels to resolve their differences through talks.
Peace negotiations have failed to stop nearly two years of fighting in Sudan's western region that has killed 10s of thousands and left nearly 2 million homeless.
AU officials have said that attacks continued this week.
Ibok told delegates at the talks: "War will not resolve the problems of Darfur, it's not just a military problem, it's a problem that can be resolved by political means."
Representatives from Darfur's two main rebel groups and Sudan's government are attending the talks, which were promptly adjourned on Saturday and expected to continue yesterday.
Early work will focus on reviewing past interim agreements, with power and wealth sharing and disarmament among the final goals for peace, said Ibok.
An earlier round of talks in November produced accords on humanitarian access to the estimated 1.8 million war-displaced in Darfur and in neighbouring Chad, bringing new pledges of an end to hostilities.
Fighting restarted almost immediately after the November 9 accords signed in Abuja and aid groups accused the Sudanese air force of bombing towns. The government denied this and the United Nations said it could not confirm the airstrikes.
Rebel delegates said at the weekend that government air strikes would hinder the talks.
"According to the agreements we've signed, the government should refrain from military overflights in Darfur, but in the past two weeks we've been under constant bombardment and this would affect the talks," said Mohammed Tugod Lissan, of the Justice and Equality Movement.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) disease and famine have killed 70,000 in Darfur since March.
A promised 3,000-member AU peace deployment for Darfur has managed to put only about 800 soldiers and 100 observers in the field. The UN calls the situation in Darfur the world's gravest humanitarian crisis.
