Sudan's Bashir arrives in Chadian border town for Darfuri forum
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March 29, 2014 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese president, Omer Hassan
al-Bashir, has arrived in the Chadian border town of Um-Jaras on
Saturday to take part in the closing session of the second forum on
peace and security in Darfur.
JPEG - 20.8 kb
Chad's president Idriss Deby (R) standing next his Sudanese
counterpart Omer Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir at Um-Jaras airport 29 March
2014 (Ashorooq TV)
The first Um-Jaras meeting was held on 26 and 27 October 2013. It
brought together the leaders of the Zaghawa tribe in Um-Jaras and was
attended by the Chadian president Idris Deby who is also member of the
same ethnic group.
According to a statement issued by the Sahwa [awakening] council the
leader of the Darfurian Arab Mahameed clan, Musa Hilal, will also
arrive in Um-Jaras in the coming hours amid reports that Deby is
mediating between Bashir and Hilal.
Hilal's forces seized five areas in North Darfur state following
clashes against government troops over the last month. The tribal
leader, who is leading an undeclared mutiny, is currently living in
one of those areas after leaving Khartoum a year earlier.
Sudan's justice minister and chairman of the high committee of
Um-Jaras forum, Mohamed Bushara Dousa, said the forum which is being
attended by all tribal and local leaders of Darfur represents a strong
motivation for consolidating peace and stability in the restive
region.
He said that the recommendations of the forum will offer hope for all
Sudanese people, adding that all participants have abandoned their
political, regional, and tribal affiliations in order to achieve peace
in the whole country and particularly Darfur.
Dousa also mentioned that the forum enjoys support and participation
of all Sudanese political forces, pointing to the attendance of the
Popular Congress Party (PCP) leader Hassan al-Turabi, and the deputy
chairman of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP), Fadl Allah Burma
Nasser.
He said the forum reflects the consensus of the Sudanese nation,
saying it recognized and supported all peace agreements signed between
the government and the rebel groups.
The PCP leader for his part welcomed the convening of the second
forum, saying it represents a good opportunity for providing viable
solutions to the Darfur crisis and tribal conflicts on the borders
between Sudan and Chad.
He expressed in a press statement upon his arrival in Um-Jaras on
Saturday his delight to visit Chad, saying it was the first country he
visited when he was Sudan's minister of foreign affairs during the
regime of the former president, Ja'afar Nimeiri.
"We came to this country in order to find solutions for all our
problems", Turabi said.
Meanwhile, the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said it is
ready for dialogue and coordination with any political force to
overthrow the regime and establish a transitional government in order
to resolve the Sudanese crisis.
The political advisor to JEM's chairman, Mahgoub Hussein, said they no
longer believe in certain leaders or views of other political parties
but they have their own vision and seek to meet aspirations of the
Sudanese people.
He denied that JEM leaders met with delegates of the PCP in the Kenyan
capital, Nairobi, wondering who would benefit from such rumors.
On Thursday, the PCP said its leading figure, Adam Al-Tahir Hamdoun,
was reported to have held a series of meetings in the Kenyan capital
of Nairobi with leaders of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM),
Sudan Liberation Movement-Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM), and Sudan Liberation
Movement-Abu Al-Gasim Imam (SLM-Imam).
The PCP afterwards said that the rebels agreed to engage in the
dialogue with provided the government offered certain guarantees which
enable them to be part of the process in the Sudanese capital.
But JEM spokesperson, Gibreel Adam Bilal, denied such meetings. He
said the group, together with other rebel groups, has a public
position on what is called the National Dialogue and the regime has to
fulfill a number of conditions first.
The rebel spokesperson was referring to the rebels' demand of
comprehensive cessation of hostilities and a comprehensive process to
be held under the auspice of a joint international mediation.
HRW CONDEMNS BASHIR VISIT
Meanwhile Human Rights Watch (HRW) slammed Bashir's trip to Chad
despite an arrest warrant for him by the International Criminal Court
(ICC) since 2009 on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against
humanity in Darfur.
This is Bashir's fifth visit to Chad which is an ICC signatory with
theoretical obligation to arrest him.
"Al-Bashir's visit to Chad highlights his continued status as a
fugitive from justice. The Sudanese president faces charges of heinous
crimes committed in Darfur - genocide, war crimes and crimes against
humanity" said Elise Keppler, Associate Director at HRW International
Justice Program.
"The only place he should be traveling is to The Hague - Darfuri
victims have been waiting too long to see him in the dock" she added.
(ST)
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