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Fresh violence mars talks

Rebel accusations that fresh government air-raids killed 26 civilians in Sudan's troubled Darfur region cast a pall over peace talks in Nigeria on Wednesday, where African Union mediators trying to end the conflict are making little headway.

Mahgoup Hussain, a spokesman for the rebel Sudan Liberation Army, said the bombings occurred Tuesday and Wednesday in the town of Allaiat, in eastern Darfur. But Lieutenant General Mohammed Ismail, the deputy chief of staff of the Sudanese army, said there had been no fresh violence in the area.

"It is still continuing," Hussein said of the bombings, claiming the 26 dead included a pregnant woman. "Definitely this round [of negotiations] will not go well. It is not logical. You are coming here for peace, and you are bombing people over there."

Hussein spoke in Abuja at the end of a third day of peace talks that have so far failed to yield any agreement. An earlier round ended similarly in September, after rebels refused to sign a humanitarian accord giving aid organizations wider access to refugees. Rebels still insist they will not sign the already-drafted accord without an accompanying security agreement first.

Ahmed Tugod Lissan, spokesman for the other rebel group attending the talks, the Justice and Equality Movement, was pessimistic. "The government has not shown any sign of good intentions in Sudan ... and this is seen by what is happening in eastern Darfur," he said. Lissan said Sudanese government Russian-built Antonov aircraft had flown repeatedly Wednesday over the town of Towisha, northwest of Allaiat, trying to "intimidate people."

He said they had not dropped bombs there and was unsure of violence elsewhere. Last week, rebels said at least 7,000 people had been displaced by fighting in and around Allaiat. Sudan's army said then they were only defending their positions, and denied using military aircraft there. On Wednesday, about 100 delegates gathered around a large oval table at an international conference center in Abuja, Nigeria's capital.

As on Tuesday, talks broke off early after the African Union failed to get the two sides to discuss a long-term political solution for Darfur. Hussain said his group wanted to see an agenda before any political discussions and needed more time to prepare its own position before agreeing to face-to-face talks with the government.
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