Elders seek 'fair' Darfur talks

By Amber Henshaw
BBC News, Khartoum

Two million people have been displaced in Darfur

A group of elder statesmen has said peace talks on Darfur due to be held in Libya need to be more inclusive.

After visiting Sudan's war-torn western region, the Elders, led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, said displaced people living in camps must be represented.

The Elders went to Darfur to see and hear for themselves the conditions that people in camps must endure.

They urged the international community to speed up the deployment of 26,000 UN and African Union peacekeepers.

At Otash camp, home to more than 60,000 people, the Elders were told security was worsening.

There's no provision yet to make sure that people who are not at war... will be represented Jimmy Carter Africa's toughest job?

Some said they were afraid to go to bed at night for fear of being attacked.

These people desperately want peace and want to be represented at negotiations later in October.

Key questions

Former US President Jimmy Carter, who is also one of the elders, said the talks needed to be more inclusive.

THE ELDERS South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu Former US President Jimmy Carter Children's rights advocate Graca Machel Veteran UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi

"There's no provision yet to make sure that people who are not at war, the civilians who live in this country who want peace, will be represented at Tripoli.

"And how will their representation be chosen? Those are very, very important questions." The situation on the ground is now much more complex than it was when the failed Darfur peace agreement was signed last year.

Some say there are as many as 28 rebel factions.

President Carter warned that participants would have to be patient if they wanted to reach a proper peace deal, adding that Darfur's problems would not be resolved in a few days, or even a few weeks.

The Elders also urged the international community to speed up the deployment of peacekeepers, to get them into Darfur sooner rather than later.