Sudan Says It is Ready to Resume Diplomatic Ties with Chad

Sudan President Omar al-Bashir said on Wednesday he is ready to normalize diplomatic ties with Chad but only if Chad stops helping the Darfur rebels who have rejected the peace deal signed in May 2006.

He said his government cut relations with Chad and stopped humanitarian assistance from Chad because it backed the Darfur rebel faction, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) lead by Khalil Ibrahim that on 10 May attacked Omdurman on the outskirts of the capital Khartoum.

He said in the past Sudan had cease-fire agreements with Chad but were all violated by Chad.

Al-Bashir told Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in their closed meeting in Yokohama that Sudan is willing to resume diplomatic relations with Chad but on condition that Chad will not support Darfur factions that are running away from peace negotiations.

In his speech to the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV), al-Bashir urged the international community to hold Chad accountable especially for JEM’s attack on the Sudanese capital.

Source African Press Agency

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