Sudan OKs Darfur Peace Talks

Months of negotiations over the crisis in Darfur have culminated in agreements by the Sudanese government to participate in peace talks and to admit a joint UN-African union peacekeeping force to the region. Security Council reps visited Khartoum yesterday and nailed down details that addressed the government's concerns, Reuters reports—namely, that the peacekeepers will be under African control.

Peace talks could begin as soon as August, with the greatest potential stumbling block being the splintering of rebel forces into more than a dozen factions. "The problem is with the other side," the foreign minister said. Meanwhile, Oxfam announced its permanent withdrawal from the largest refugee camp in Darfur in the wake of a December attack on aid workers. (More Darfur stories.)