Sudan talks stalled over security

The fate of thousands of homeless people hangs on a security deal

Rebel groups from the troubled Sudanese region of Darfur say peace negotiations with the government are deadlocked over disarmament and other security issues.

The talks, brokered by the African Union (AU), are being held in Nigeria.

The two sides on Wednesday reached a deal on humanitarian access. But rebels later set a number of conditions.

The move comes as a UN envoy said Sudan had not meet targets for disarming pro-government militias blamed for atrocities against non-Arabs in Darfur.

Jan Pronk told the UN Security Council that Sudan must accept outside help, including peacekeepers, to protect civilians in Darfur.

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About a million people in the region have been driven from their homes - mainly by the Arab Janjaweed militia - and up to 50,000 have been killed.

The conflict began in 2003, when two rebel groups emerged in Darfur.

The Sudanese government denies backing the Janjaweed and says it is doing its best to disarm them.

The peace talks between the government and two rebel groups began last month in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

Negotiations ran into new problems on Thursday, with one group saying it would not sign a deal on access for humanitarian organisations until the security question had been settled.

Ahmed Mohammed Tugod, of the Justice and Equality Movement, said Wednesday's deal had been reached in principle only.

"In order to sign the protocol we agreed yesterday, it's important to settle all the issues of security," he said.

Talks on Darfur have been continuing in Nigeria

The rebels have urged the UN to set up no-fly zones in Darfur.

Mr Tugod also called for a "neutral international body to investigate the crimes committed against humanity in Darfur".

The other group, the Sudan Liberation Movement, re-iterated a rebel demand that the Janjaweed disarm first.

The government insists that both sides must lay down their weapons at the same time.

Negotiations have been adjourned until Saturday.

Limited progress

In New York, the Security Council was briefed on Sudan's progress in reducing violence.

At the end of July, the UN called on Sudan to rein in the Janjaweed or face unspecified measures.

No concrete steps have been taken to bring to justice or even identify any of the militia leaders UN report UN Security Council report (157K) Most computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download the reader here

Amid argument among member states over whether Khartoum should face sanctions, the organisation gave itself 30 days to report on the situation.

Mr Pronk told the council the authorities had fulfilled a commitment to deploy extra police and improve security in some areas, but had not met its commitments in two respects:

"First, it has not been able to stop attacks by militias, nor to disarm these militias.

"Second, no concrete steps have been taken to bring to justice or even to identify any of the militia's leaders or the perpetrators of these attacks."

The report, prepared by Mr Pronk on behalf of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, does not mention sanctions, but calls for a "substantially increased international presence" in Darfur as quickly as possible.

The UN and the AU have been working on a plan for the current small observer mission to be expanded to a force of 3,000 troops and 1,100 police, with a wider role.

Sudan's envoy to the UN, Elfatih Mohamed Erwa, said his country would agree to an expanded AU mission, "but only with a monitoring mandate".