Rebels groups in Darfur are expressing skepticism over a unilateral cease-fire declared by the Sudanese government on Saturday.
The truce was declared at the opening of the Darfur peace talks, which began in Libya on Saturday.
Key rebel groups did not attend the talks casting doubts on whether the truce will be at all effective.
Two main rebel groups, the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Army Unity faction, said they would not attend.
More than a dozen armed rebel groups are in Darfur fighting not only the government in Khartoum but also with one another.
The rebel groups want to see if the cease-fire is implemented because the government has not honored previous truces, leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement ‘Abd Al-Wahid A-Nour said, according to the Sudan Tribune.
The talks aim to end more than four years of fighting in the western Sudanese province in which more than 200,000 people have been killed and more than 2.2 million have been displaced.
Rebels took up arms against the central government in early 2003 to protest what they said were years of discrimination. The government is said to have unleashed armed groups called the Janjaweed to counter the rebels but Khartoum denies this.
The failure of the two sides to reach a sustainable agreement could hamper the deployment of a joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force, which is scheduled to start operations next year.