ATTACK ON AU TROOPS
The situation on the ground in Darfur seems to be degenerating by the day, as evidenced by the massacre of 10 AU peacekeepers last weekend.
The rebel leaders in Asmara denied that their fighters were responsible, even though AU officials have blamed the attack on groups allied to some of them. Several rebel leaders said they feared the bloodshed would only get worse if the talks in Libya failed.
"We could get the people's hopes up and there could be a lot of frustration when nothing is accomplished," said Abdulaziz Dafallah, a leader of the Revolution Democratic Forces Front, a Darfur rebel group that is part of Khamis' alliance.
He said the rebels were behind in two key areas that were supposed to be wrapped up by now: appointing a negotiating team to represent all major groups and training the negotiators.
Ibok agreed this was a problem and said "the people we require urgently for these talks don't seem to be ready for them."
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