Government Rejects Proposal to End War

The government said it rejected a proposal by rebels for a confederation between the Islamic north and the Christian and animist south as a means to end 14 years of civil war. A government delegation told a news conference in Nairobi, Kenya, that the proposal made by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army during peace talks that broke down was “irrelevant and illogical” because “the concept of confederalism can only exist between sovereign states, but Sudan is still one country.” Nearly two weeks of talks ended with participants agreeing only to meet again in April. The war has claimed 1.3 million lives since 1983.