KHARTOUM, Sudan, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Envoys from the African Union and the United Nations have arrived in Sudan with the goal of revitalizing peace talks in the war-torn Darfur region.
Salim Ahmed Salim and Jan Eliasson are set to urge Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to consider Darfur peace talks rather than implement his plan to bomb the region's rebel forces, the BBC said.
Salim, an African Union envoy, and U.N. envoy Eliasson are also in Sudan to gain permission for a U.N. peacekeeping force to be deployed within the nation's borders, the BBC said.
Previous attempts to deploy such a force by both organizations have failed due to Sudanese reservations and delays.
The envoys will also focus their efforts on the Sudanese rebels, attempting to move them towards a united position they could take into negotiations.
The BBC said that while the Sudanese government continues to maintain Darfur is under control, more than 200,000 people have been killed since the civil war began back in 2003.
