ABUJA, May 1, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Scoffing at a new deadline for signing an African Union-brokered peace accord to end the conflict with Khartoum, Darfur rebels said Monday, May 1, "crucial demands" remained to be met, with an AU envoy blaming the rebels for the deadlock.

"The extension of the deadline does not have any meaning for us," Saifaldin Haroun, spokesman of the main faction of the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM), told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"The AU peace proposal does not address our crucial demands," he said.

The African Union gave early Monday the Darfur rebels an additional 48 hours to sign the peace accord to end the conflict after they allowed a Sunday midnight deadline to elapse.

The Darfur rebel groups, SLM and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said they still have reservations at the AU peace document.

They claim that the document did not consider giving the country's vice presidency to the Darfur region, nor did it adequately resolve other power-sharing and wealth distribution issues.

The Khartoum government said on Sunday, April 30, it was ready to sign the peace accord to end the Darfur conflict.

The conflict flared up in February 2003, when rebels took up arms against Khartoum, complaining of discrimination, oppression and marginalization.

The United Nations maintains that the Darfur conflict is causing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis at present, estimating that at least 180,000 people have died from fighting, hunger and disease.

More than two million civilians have fled their homes to refugee camps in neighboring countries like Chad.

The failure to meet the peace talks deadline has pushed Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha to leave Nigeria on Monday.

On Sunday, AU special envoy and chief mediator Salim Ahmed Salim blamed the rebels for the standoff.

"To be frank, it has often been frustrating for all of us to deal with you," Reuters quoted Salim as telling the rebels.

"The Abuja process has provided you with recognition and a platform ... Should you decide to walk away from Abuja without an agreement, you should not count on the same recognition and the same opportunities for political primacy," he said.

He warned the warring parties that they were missing a golden opportunity.

"If we walk away from here without a peace deal, the world will not forgive us. There are no winners if this war continues," he said.

"Every one of us must share the blame and must live with the guilt of the lives that will be lost and the communities ruined because of the failure to make peace here."

The failure to meet the peace talks deadline has pushed Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha to leave Nigeria on Monday.

Taha arrived three weeks ago and held face-to-face meetings with rebel leaders that had raised hopes of a deal.

A diplomat who is closely involved in the talks said Taha left because his latest meetings with rebel leaders had given him the impression they were not open to substantial talks.

"His meetings with the (rebel) movements yesterday were so bad. They were, frankly, so insulting to the government," said the diplomat, who described his mood as "depressed".

The US government has sought to increase pressure on Khartoum to end the violence.