Rebels from Darfur left Addis Ababa, dealing a blow to international efforts to launch peace talks with Khartoum as aid groups warned of a worsening crisis in the region of western Sudan, where at least a million people have fled their villages. The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) left the Ethiopian capital after refusing to enter into direct negotiations until the Sudanese government agreed to their demands about demilitarising Darfur and bringing war criminals to book. “We are going back home because on our part, we have given the message of the Darfur people. We did not walk out. We have consulted with mediators until the last minute,” JEM coordinator Ahmed Tagod Lissan told AFP, also speaking on behalf of SLM. Despite efforts by the African Union (AU) and the UN, the two sides only sat down together once during this latest initiative, on Thursday, when the encounter degenerated into a prolonged shouting match. Full Story
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