Sudan protests to France its hosting of Darfur rebel chief

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) - Sudan protested France's continued hosting of an exiled Darfur rebel chief who has been reluctant to enter into peace talks over the deadly conflict, the official state news agency reported Thursday.
The head of the Sudan Liberation Movement, Abdulwahid Elnur, has been living in France for months and his residency was recently extended to June, the agency said.
French Ambassador to Sudan Christine Robichon was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday and was asked to justify the decision of her government to extend Elnur's stay, the agency said.
A diplomat familiar with the issue confirmed the meeting on condition his name not be used because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Elnur has repeatedly refused to enter into peace talks until security is restored in the violence-ridden region.
The agency said the French diplomat had said she did not know why her government has taken that move, and promised to get a clarification.
Sudanese government officials said France is not doing enough to encourage Elnur to join talks. While France talks of realizing peace in Darfur, it refrains from sending a strong message to Elnur, said presidential adviser and former foreign minister Mustafa Osman Ismail.
«The French talk of impunity but the practice of the French government represents the biggest impunity from punishment,» Osman said.
More than 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been chased from their homes in Darfur since fighting broke out in 2003 when the SLM and other ethnic African rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated Sudanese government, accusing it of discrimination.
The U.N. and African Union have tried for months to open new peace talks between Sudan and rebel groups after a previous peace agreement failed to stem the violence. But most rebel chiefs have boycotted the initiative and security in Darfur has further deteriorated.
Elnur enjoys large support among Darfur refugees, and his signing onto a peace deal is considered necessary for its success. The French Foreign Ministry organized a meeting between Elnur and delegates from the Security Council earlier this year.