Annan urges African rebels to agree to peace deal in Darfur

May 1, 2006, 19:59 GMT

New York - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday urged the two African rebel groups that walked out of peace negotiations to agree to end the war in Sudan's Darfur region.

He urged the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and the Justice and Equality Movement 'to redouble efforts and to come to an agreement without delay so that the suffering and destruction in Darfur can be brought to an end.'

Annan said the situation in Darfur continues to be 'dire,' with millions of civilians remaining dependent on international assistance for survival while insecurity threatened delivery of relief goods to those in need.

'The clear solution is for the parties to seize this historic opportunity to achieve peace and begin the task of recovery and reconstruction,' he said.

The peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria, were near completion to meet an April 30 deadline set by the UN Security Council in New York. On Sunday the two African groups rejected the final proposals to wrap up the talks while the Sudanese government was said to have accepted them. A third African group apparently agreed to the proposals.

The talks were extended for 48 hours while African Union officials, who mediated the negotiations, were trying to convince the two groups to return.

The 15-nation council, which imposed the deadline, was not in session on Monday.

A failure to reach a peace agreement could trigger the UN Security Council to send peacekeeping troops into the region. The Security Council has already approved the mission, which is opposed to by the Sudanese government. A UN force would take over for a 7,000-strong African Union force, which has been unable to stop the fighting and protect civilians.

The war in Darfur between the African groups and Arab militias backed by the Sudanese government has killed more than 180,000 people since 2003. More than 2 million people have been made homeless. Human rights groups say the death toll could be higher than 300,000.