UK warns Darfur rebels on boycott

The UK has warned rebel groups in Darfur they could be excluded from the peace process if they boycott talks due to be held in Libya later this month.

The UK Minister for Africa, Lord Malloch Brown, said those who opted out "should understand the consequences".

The meeting was arranged so the rebels could unify their negotiating position ahead of talks with Sudan's government.

Meanwhile, UN officials have appealed for helicopters and trucks for the new UN-African Union mission in Darfur.

The head of UN peacekeeping operations, Jean-Marie Guehenno, said the 24 military helicopters and 60 transport vehicles the UN required would be essential for the success of the 26,000-strong peacekeeping force once it deploys.

Rebel leaders that do not go are, in many ways, abdicating their right to represent people Mark Malloch Brown UK Minister for Africa

Mr Guehenno said the recent rebel attack on the AU base near Haskanita in northern Darfur, and the subsequent destruction of the town by the Sudanese army, showed why having a highly mobile force was critical to stopping the violence.

"If you want to ensure the protection of civilians, you need that mobility, you need the capacity to transport troops quickly to a place you hear there is some trouble developing and you need to have the firepower and the strength to immediately dominate the situation," he said.

'Consequences'

Some of the largest of the more than a dozen rebel groups are threatening not to attend the peace talks due to take place in Tripoli on 27 October.

The BBC's Martin Plaut says the prospects for the meeting are now looking increasingly grim, with the level of violence in Darfur on the rise as all parties jostle for control of territory.

The talks have been endorsed by the UN Security Council and Lord Malloch Brown had a blunt message for those considering staying away.

"Rebel leaders that do not go are, in many ways, abdicating their right to represent people," he told the BBC.

"That means anybody who wants to be a legitimate representative of the Darfuri people needs to go there. If they opt out, they should understand the consequences of doing that - probably their role in the peace negotiations may be finished."

The divisions among the rebel movements and their inability to find a common cause have been some of the most difficult issues for the international community to deal with, our correspondent says.

But unless all sides can be persuaded to attend there is little hope that the Libyan talks will contribute to the resolution to the crisis in Darfur, he adds.

At least 200,000 people have died in Darfur during a four-year conflict and more than two million have been forced from their homes.