UN calls for new peace talks on Darfur

The top UN peacekeeper has called for the Sudanese government and armed groups to return to the negotiating table.

Herve Ladsous, the under secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, made the call in a briefing to the UN Security Council on progress in the talks.

He said he was encouraged by initial steps by the Sudanese government and one of the rebel movements in Darfur to implement the peace document signed in Qatar last year.

But he said other armed groups that did not sign the agreement need to come back to talks.

"Their long-standing grievances can only be effectively dealt with through peace talks that result in agreement to cease hostilities and work together towards peace," Ladsous said.

The Sudanese Government and the rebel Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) signed the so-called the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) in July 2011 in Qatar.

Ladsous called for support by the council and international community for the peace efforts in Darfur, the western region of Sudan that for years has been subjected to repression.

The government has used militia groups as proxies to carry out violence against an emerging rebel movement in the area as well as against the civilian population.