New round of peace talks

The regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has said it will help arrange a fresh round of peace talks in Nairobi next month between the Sudan government and southern and northern-based opposition groups, including the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army.

According to AFP, Daniel Mboya of IGAD would discuss the issue with Sudanese authorities in the capital, Khartoum, in coming days. Sudan's official media said Mboya, a Kenyan, would discuss a timetable and an agenda. In Washington, a state department spokesman said the IGAD peace initiative "offers the best hope for ending the violence in Sudan". "Peace cannot be achieved if the two initiatives work separately or at odds with each other", he said referring to the peace efforts of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The SPLA works in alliance with the NDA in eastern Sudan.

Meanwhile, NDA said it welcomed a joint initiative by Sudan's northern neighbours, Egypt and Libya, aimed at seeking national reconciliation. A brief dispatch by the MENA news agency of Egypt quoted an NDA statement as saying it would welcome an Egyptian initiative to arrange talks with the government in Cairo or Tripoli. It also appealed to the leader of the Umma party to rejoin the alliance.

Patrick Gilkes, Horn of Africa expert, told IRIN that there had been a lot of effort over the last year to strengthen and combine the two peace initiatives, with Egypt focusing on bringing in northern opposition parties. A previous initiative by IGAD had faltered more than a year ago when it declared self-determination an option for Southern Sudan. According to Gilkes, Egypt - which is not a member of IGAD but a "friend" - was "unhappy" with the prospect.