Six rebel factions from the war-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur have said today that they would boycott peace talks in Libya this week because the Khartoum government has no legitimacy.
The preliminary talks in Libya on Saturday were an initiative of the head of the former southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement, Salva Kiir, whose SPLM signed a peace deal with Khartoum in 2005 that ended Africa's longest running civil war.
But the SPLM on 11 October withdrew from the unity government complaining the President Omar al Beshir and his ruling National Congress Party had failed to apply crucial elements of the 2005 peace deal.
The six groups are different factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army under the command of Ahmed Abdel Shafi, Ibrahim Ahmed Ibrahim, Jar al Nabi Abdel Karim and Mohammed Aki Kelai as well as the Northern Command faction and another group of west Darfuri rebels.
However, the SLM/A faction of Khamis Abdallah Bakr said it would attend the talks.
