June 4, 2006: The al-Nur dissident faction of the Sudan Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/M) once again rejected the peace agreement signed on May 5. The AU had given the dissident group until May 31 to sign the agreement. A spokesman for the al-Nur faction said that it is time for the UN to take over the negotiations. The Minnawi faction of the SLA/M signed the agreement with the Sudan government.
June 2, 2006: The Sudan government said that it wanted "more African troops" to serve in the AU peacekeeping force in Darfur. Sudan opposes a UN-backed force. Meanwhile, the killing continues. The government sponsored militias raid at will, but there are so few villages to raid, that the militiamen now concentrate on refugee camps in Darfur, and across the border in Chad. There are some 2.5 million refugees to go after. Estimates of the dead so far range from 200,000 to half a million. No one, not even the government, knows for sure. Most of the pro-government militiamen are illiterate, and not taking notes.
June 1, 2006: The African Union (AU) said that dissident Darfur rebel groups that failed to sign the May 5 peace deal could face "sanctions." The sanctions could include "measures against faction leadership" --which means arrest. This threat has been used by the UN in the eastern Congo to bring rogue militias into the negotiating process in Congo. The situation in Darfur is different. The Darfur rebels are better organized and have far better media relations.
May 31, 2006: A spokesman for a faction of the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rejected the May 5 peace pact with Sudan. The African Union (AU) had given dissident splinter groups in the JEM and SLM/A until May 31 to sign the agreement.
