"Then they may become a little more conciliatory and go for a settlement," he said. "The government is so unpopular in Darfur. They need to do something to moderate their unpopularity."
Concerns that Darfur might contribute to a delay in the election have pushed the SPLM to take a more active role. Party leader Salva Kiir is expected to make his first tour of the region, and SPLM leaders are preparing their own peace initiative.
"For us the election is an incentive to resolve Darfur," said Pagan Amum, the party's secretary-general. He said the SPLM also views Darfur as an electoral prize that could help it win a presidential race. "We think we'll have sizable support there," he said.
But the African Union's Ibok warned that Darfur was not ready for elections because conditions did not allow for the emergence of new Darfur-based political parties and candidates. He said he feared election preparations would overshadow peace talks. "It would be a distraction, which is something we don't need."
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edmund.sanders@latimes.com
