Darfur meeting no-show from SLA leader

At a meeting in Addis Ababa held under the auspices of the US special envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, four of the main rebel groups involved in the long-running conflict in Darfur have reportedly agreed to work together for peace.

According to Omar Ismael, an adviser to the US negotiators, this could lead to Darfur's more than twenty rebel groups eventually speaking with one voice in peace talks with the Sudanese government.

Despite such optimism, a key player in the Darfur conflict was missing from the meeting.

Even though some of his Sudan Liberation Army field commanders did attend, Abdul Wahid Nur, one of the main leaders of the Sudan Liberation Movement, chose to stay away.

So when those who did take part reach out to him, as promised, how is he likely to react?

Frederick Dove put that question to Nur's spokesman here in London, Yahia Bashir Bolad.