A new round of talks aimed at ending a two-year conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region began in Nigeria on Friday with both sides cautiously optimistic about chances for a deal. At stake is an elusive settlement of a dispute that has killed tens of thousands of people and driven more than 2 million from their homes into teeming refugee camps inside Sudan and across the border in Chad. Delegates from the Sudanese government and two rebel groups attended a ceremony to launch the negotiations at an Abuja hotel, along with mediators headed by the African Union.Full Story