Dakar
18 July 2008
Senegal's president, Abdoulaye Wade, has convinced his Sudanese counterpartOmar al-Bashir to reestablish diplomatic relations with Chad. Theeffort is Mr. Wade's latest attempt at diplomacy in the turbulentrelationship between Sudan and its neighbor. For VOA, Brent Latham hasmore from our West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar.
Sudan broke diplomatic ties with Chadafter a rebel attack on the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on May 11. At the time, Mr. al-Bashir claimed the enemy combatants were Chadianssupported by Chad's government.
Chad blames Sudan for supportinga rebel uprising in Eastern Chad that sacked the Chadian capital,N'djamena, last year, and threatened to do so again last month.
Theleaders of the two countries came together at a meeting of theOrganization of the Islamic Conference states held in Dakar in March. There, Mr. Wade brokered a deal to work towards stability and peace.
Sallsays the framework established by those meetings provided the impetusfor Mr. Wade's current effort to establish a dialogue between Chad andSudan.
"The agreement of Dakar created a council ofreconciliation and made the council to control the movement between thetwo borders," he said. "And this group, the council, met yesterday inDakar and they encouraged President Wade to ask [the leaders] toconsider restitution and establish a friendship relation."
Thecouncil meeting in Dakar was mediated by Senegal Foreign MinisterCheikh Tidiane Gadio, and included the Sudanese and Chadian foreignministers.
Sall says Mr. Wade will continue his efforts atbringing the two sides together. He says Mr. Wade is determined tobring both sides to the table yet again. Mr. Wade, a lawyer andlong-time opposition leader, has been president of Senegal since 2000.