The Sudanese government and two rebel groups resumed peace talks on the western Darfur region on Sunday evening in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, as rebels' one-day boycott came to end and a UN deadline for action expired.

The rebel groups, namely the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), said in a statement on Saturday that they "decided to boycott the talks for 24 hours in protest over the continuous attacks that result in many civilian casualties (by government forces and Arab Janjaweed militia)."

The boycott came two days before a UN Security Council deadlinefor the Sudanese government to take measures to disarm the Janjaweed militia, or face possible sanctions. The militia was accused of looting, raping and killing in Darfur but not represented at the ongoing meeting.

The African Union (AU) has ordered its ceasefire monitors in Darfur to investigate the alleged attacks and report on its findings.

JEM negotiator Ahmed Mohammed Tugod welcomed the AU offer of investigation but warned that his side expected quick results.

"We are going to attend the meeting today even if the report has not come. But we will raise the issue again with the AU when the meeting re-opens," he said.

The Sudanese government denied the accusation, saying that the rebels intended to mount pressure on it to make concessions ahead of the UN deadline by stalling the talks.

Interior Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein accused rebels of their own ceasefire violation, adding the government had met UN demands.

"I think that we expended a huge effort and have fulfilled our commitments to the United Nations 100 percent," the official told reporters on Sunday.

The two sides are coming closer to a deal on alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Darfur on Sunday.

Delegates said that all sides would reconvene on Monday afternoon, when it is hoped they will agree on a joint position guaranteeing aid agencies access to camps and promising full cooperation with AU ceasefire monitors.

But JEM negotiator Tugod warned that it seemed there is "a big difference" between the solution proposed by the government and the solution to the problem.

After reaching an agreement on the humanitarian issue, the parties are expected to discuss security, political reform and the economy.

Also on Sunday, Sudan's SUNA news agency reported that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had congratulated President Omar Hassan Ahmed El-Bashir on his government's efforts to resolve the Darfur crisis.

Annan voiced his "appreciation for Sudan's efforts to resolve the crisis" in a phone conversation with Bashir. He "described as positive the reports he had received on the subject from UN representatives in the (three Darfur) states and expressed hope that they would continue," the news agency said.

Bashir said that his administration was "striving to return Darfur to normal and added that a large proportion of the displaced were currently in the process of going back to their homes on a voluntary basis to lead a normal life in their villages."

Annan is due to report to the Security Council on Monday on Khartoum's compliance with the 30-day deadline it issued on June 30.

However, a draft circulated to the government and the two rebel groups was largely negative.

"General insecurity persists with continuing violence by various armed groups, banditry and lawlessness. There are clear indications that Khartoum security agents are systematically harassing and intimidating the internally displaced persons in a scheme aimed at forcing them out of camps," it said.

The Abuja meeting, which opened last Monday and halted for a one-day rest Friday, is another effort by the AU to help bring about a political solution to the 18-month Darfur conflict, which is described by the United Nations as the world's worst humanitarian crisis and has left some 10,000 people dead and one million others displaced.

Source: Xinhua