The Arab League chief said Sunday that the Sudanese government needs more time to end the crisis in its troubled Darfur region, where purportedly state-backed Arab militias are accused of killing thousands of African villagers. Amr Moussa's call, made at an emergency meeting of the 22-member Arab League on the Darfur crisis, came as Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo offered to host peace talks to resolve what has been called the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Obasanjo invited the Sudanese government and rebel negotiators to hold talks in Nigeria starting Aug. 23, a spokesman for the African Union said. Previous talks fell apart July 17 after rebels walked out, saying the Sudanese government had ignored existing peace agreements.
The 18-month conflict began when black African factions in Darfur rose up against the Sudanese government, claiming discrimination in the distribution of the large, arid region's scarce resources. Since then, Arab militias have gone on a rampage, destroying villages, killing and raping. As many as 30,000 people have been killed, and 1 million people have been forced to flee their homes. The U.S. Congress and some humanitarian groups have accused Sudan of genocide, and a U.N. resolution has threatened economic and diplomatic action against Sudan if it doesn't act within 30 days to rein in the militias, known as Janjaweed. Sudan denies backing the Janjaweed and was hoping Arab nations at Sunday's gathering will back it against international pressure.
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