Sudan envoy hopeful about peace talks, despite continuing chaos

Published: 2007-10-16

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. special envoy to Sudan said that although a recent period of relative calm in Sudan has been replaced by more chaos -- and conditions could rapidly deteriorate even more -- he's hopeful about peace talks on Darfur scheduled for Oct. 27 in Libya. Andrew Natsios told an audience at The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law Oct. 15 that the situation in Sudan is so fluid that it's impossible to predict which of the many factions involved in fighting will even attend the peace conference. A first hurdle is keeping track of how many factions there are, he said, estimating that there are between 17 and 30 different groups with a stake in how the conflict in Darfur, a region in western Sudan, is resolved. "Almost all the factions have said they'll attend the talks," Natsios said, but there are still "serious disagreements over leadership. The tribal divisions are severe."

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