Government Starts Direct Talks With Rebels
From Times Wire Reports
Sudan began direct talks with two rebel groups, as President Bush and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on the government to give humanitarian aid agencies unrestricted access to western Sudan.
Bush also said the Sudanese government must stop militias in the Darfur region from committing atrocities against the local population.
Since rebels took up arms in the region in February 2003, thousands of people have been killed and more than 800,000 others forced to flee their homes.
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