Khartoum and rebels agree Darfur development plan

Agnes van Ardenne said Darfur would need help in areas such as repatriating refugees. Picture / Reuters.

THE HAGUE - Sudan government officials and the Darfur rebel faction which signed a peace agreement last month have pledged to improve security so reconstruction work can start after three years of conflict.

Sudanese delegates at a meeting in The Hague hosted by the Dutch government agreed to conduct a joint assessment mission to the remote western region to identify short and long-term development needs ahead of a donors' conference in October.

The Dutch foreign ministry said in a statement the security situation had deteriorated since the May 5 peace deal and the Sudan government and Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) had promised to address that so reconstruction work can begin.

"Implementability depends on stability on the ground," Sudan Junior Finance Minister Lual Deng told the meeting. "We will make sure the conditions are prevailing on the ground."

Only the SLM faction led by Minni Arcua Minnawi signed the African Union-mediated peace deal despite intense pressure.

The two groups who rejected the deal say they wanted more political posts and compensation for war victims. They also want a role in monitoring the disarmament of Khartoum's allied Arab militia, known locally as Janjaweed, who are blamed for much of the rape, murder and looting in the vast region.

Asked about suggestions the peace deal could unravel before it really took root, SLM delegate Mohammed Eltijani Eltayeb said: "There are some threats but I am still optimistic."

Tens of thousands have been killed and 2.5 million injured in violence in Darfur.

Dutch Development Minister Agnes van Ardenne said Darfur would need help in areas including repatriating refugees, health, education and land reform and expected assessment teams to report back on financial needs by mid-September.

"The peace dividend should be shown to the people of Darfur as soon as possible," she said.

The United States and the United Nations want UN troops to replace the AU force in Darfur, but Sudan opposes this.

Junior Minister Deng said instead of UN forces Khartoum was discussing sending about 10,000 troops to back up the AU and help disarm the Arab militias.

He said the soldiers could come from the joint force that includes former rebel fighters from southern Sudan. Former rebels from the south joined a national unity government after a deal in 2005 ended a protracted north-south civil war.

- REUTERS