Representatives of the Government of Sudan and of two rebel groups in Sudan’s Darfur region, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), a splinter group from the JEM, signed a declaration on Tuesday (October 23rd) affirming their commitment to the ongoing peace process, to immediate cessation of hostilities and the resumption of negotiations “in order to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the conflict” on the basis of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).
The two sides have been engaged in secret discussions in Qatar, mediated by Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister, Ahmed Bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud, and the Acting UN-African Union Joint Chief Mediator for Darfur and Head of UNAMID, Aïchatou S. Mindaoudou. They have now agreed to negotiate in good faith on the basis of the DDPD. The Mediators have called upon other non-signatory rebel movements in Darfur to follow suit and join the peace process with a view to alleviating the suffering of the population and restoring peace to all parts of Darfur. Delegations from the Sudanese government and the Darfur based rebel groups are now expected to commence negotiations on November 22nd.