AU-sponsored Darfur peace talks postponed to Saturday in Nigeria

Peace talks aimed at ending a 22-month-old crisis in Sudan's troubled Darfur region, scheduled for Friday in Nigerian capital Abuja, has been postponed for a day, a spokesman for the African Union said.

Assane Ba said the postponement followed "some logistic problems" that led to the failure of the arrival of mediators and some rebels in Darfur.

The opening ceremony is now scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Saturday in Abuja, he added.

The Sudanese government and Darfur rebel groups, the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Movement, signed two protocols on security and humanitarian aid in Abuja one month ago.

But this did not prevent the violence from deteriorating as the United Nations and the African Union expressed serious concern.

Three days ago, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast told the Security Council that Darfur was still in chaos, plagued by banditry, rape and village burnings.

"Despite some earlier gains, November was characterized by violence and a marked deterioration in the security situation," Prendergast said.

On Friday, Alpha Oumar Konare, chairman of the African Union Commission warned of continued military operations by both the rebels and the Sudanese government.

Calling the violations "serious and unacceptable," Konare urged them to put an immediate end to all hostilities and demanded that they abide by the agreement and protocols.

He also hoped all the sides in Abuja can reach a political solution to end the conflict and to make it their responsibility to fully honor their commitments.

The United Nations calls the conflict in Darfur the world's worst humanitarian crisis, in which thousands were reportedly killed and one million others displaced.

The crisis is indeed the African Union's first real test for its commitment to security and peace, an issue that bugs the impoverished continent for decades.

Source: Xinhua