The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Sirte

Sudan's government declared an immediate unilateral ceasefire at the opening of Darfur peace talks on Saturday, but the absence of key rebels cast doubt on whether the move could produce meaningful progress. One rebel leader who did attend the gathering in the Libyan town of Sirte voiced reservations about Khartoum's move, saying the government had failed to honor past such undertakings during 4-1/2 years of violence in the western region. "We announce a ceasefire from this moment, and we will respect it unilaterally," Sudanese presidential adviser Nafie Ali Nafie told the gathering aimed at ending 4-1/2 years of violence in the western region. Rebel leader Ahmed Ibrahim Diraige of the Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance told Reuters: "The government has already said several times since 2004 that they observed a ceasefire. They again spoke like this today. We have our doubts." On the eve of the African Union-United Nations-mediated talks, two main rebel groups -- the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Army Unity faction -- said they would not attend.