Darfur mediators defend Doha deal and urge rebel groups to join peace
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July 17, 2011 (DOHA)— Darfur peace mediators said the peace agreement
signed in Doha on Thursday between the Sudanese parties is a viable
pact and urged the other rebel groups to follow yesterday example and
reach peace agreements.
JPEG - 69.8 kb
>From the left, Djibril Bassole, Ahmed bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud and
Ibrahim Gambari at a press conference held Friday 15 July in Doha on
day after the siging of a peace agreement between Khartoum and the LJM
rebels (ST)
Sudanese government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM)
signed a peace agreement after over two years since the starting of
the peace process in 2008. The deal is seen as an emanation of a
framework peace document adopted by Darfur stakeholders last May.
Burkina Faso’s foreign minister and former Joint Chief Mediator
Djibril Bassolé, Qatari state minister for foreign affairs Ahmed bin
Abdullah Al-Mahmoud and the UNAMID chief Ibrahim Gambari held Friday a
press conference in the Qatari capital where they appealed on the
other rebel groups to work for peace in Darfur.
The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) demanded to open talks on the
seven chapters of the peace document while the Sudan Liberation
Movement (SLM) led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur refuses to negotiate with
Khartoum saying a regime change can achieve a comprehensive peace in
Sudan.
The peace deal was described as partial and paving the way for the
government to exclude the other groups. The opponents of the Doha pact
also said it is doomed to failure just like Abuja peace agreement of
2006.
Advocating LJM-Sudan government deal, Bassolé said Thursday’s
agreement is viable because it is based on a "consensual document" for
peace in Darfur. He further said the Doha process is "participative"
because it includes besides the rebels all the stakeholders.
The former mediator who becomes a member of the follow-up committee
pointed out that the framework document is "open" for the other groups
which did not yet signed an agreement and it does not exclude them.
Al-Mahmoud who co brokered the process with Bassolé stressed that what
is needed at the present stage is a serious political will of the
parties to reach a comprehensive and inclusive peaceful settlement for
the conflict.
He further warned that if the lack of determination persists during
the upcoming period "we can not continue our efforts to resolve the
conflict". Asked if the three months delay accorded to JEM to finalize
a peace agreement is enough, the minister affirmatively said "yes it
is enough and even more than enough".
JEM spokesperson Gibreel Bilal Adam stigmatized the agreement in a
press statement released on Sunday saying it gives Khartoum a green
light to continue its military operations in Darfur.
He further stressed "We will not be part of any agreement that did not
diagnose the root causes of the Sudanese problem".
Asked to identify the issues that the rebel group see as crucial to
negotiate, JEM chief negotiator Ahmed Tugud told Sudan Tribune that
they demand to hold talks on the human rights and fundamental
liberties, the compensations, the wealth sharing and the power sharing
including the administrative status of the region, the security
arrangements and the reconciliation and justice particularly the
hybrid courts.
Tugud who was speaking after the press conference added that all these
issues should be tackled in direct talks with Khartoum before to sign
any peace agreement otherwise JEM will move out of the peace forum.
Bassolé who was involved in different peace processes in countries
like the Niger and the Côte d’Ivore said he noticed in the case of
Darfur that rebel groups do not coordinate their positions and seek to
obstruct each other when it comes to make peace.
Al-Mahmoud from his side said the Sudanese parties whatever they do
have to sit on the negotiating table and seek to find a deal to end
the conflict based on the Doha framework .
He said the mediation was pleased by the support of the US envoy for
Sudan Princeton to the process and the pact inked by the Sudanese
government and LJM rebels disclosing that Washington will be part of
the follow up committee which will seek to bring all the remaining
parties to negotiate peace agreements.
In this regard Bassolé unveiled the follow-up committee will hold a
first meeting next September to assess the implementation of the 14
July agreement and discuss ways to resume talks and include all the
rebels in the process.
The US State Department spokesperson Mark Toner welcomed last Thursday
the Sudan- JLM deal and stressed "We will continue to press those
armed movements which refuse to participate in the peace negotiations
— particularly the Sudan Liberation Army factions of Abdelwahid Nur
and Minni Minnawi — to engage fully in the peace process".
The American diplomat also urged Sudanese government to "affirm its
openness" to further negotiations on a comprehensive peace in Darfur.
In New York, the UN chief welcomed the signing of an agreement between
the government and LJM rebels for peace in Darfur. He further urged
the JEM, the two factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led
by Al-Nur and Minnaw to join the peace process.
(ST)
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