Darfur Mediators Aim for Agreed Text for Peace Deal

27 May 2011

Doha — Peace mediators announced Friday that the stakeholders conference aims to adopt and support by mutual consent a document serving as a base to settle peacefully the eight year conflict in Darfur.

“This conference will discuss the achievements of Doha talks and we expect it will come out with a text that will serve as consensual ground for future agreement between the Sudanese parties to end the Darfur conflict,” stated the Joint Chief Mediator, Djibril Bassole in statements to Sudan Tribune.

Bassole further said the outcome of the conference will be the fruit of the efforts exerted the parties and stakeholders who have to work together for peace in Darfur now and after the signing of an agreement.

The five day meeting gathers over 500 participants from Darfur representing civil society, tribal leaderships, refugees and displaced persons, states institutions, and national political parties. The meeting is also attended by regional and international envoys.

The spokesperson of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Gibreel Adam Bilal contested the legitimacy of the civil society representation in the meeting saying the government detained two delegates coming from South and West Darfur. He further said that five other delegates including the leader of a IDPs body, were prevented from travelling to Doha by the security service.

In their remarks at the opening session of the conference Bassole and the Qatari state minister for foreign affairs, Ahmed bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud stressed on the need to have a comprehensive peace agreement involving the JEM, LJM and the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur.

Al-Mahmoud highlighted the major steps achieved by the mediation since 2008. He also said the peace document that conference will discuss represents the outcome of what has been done in the talks between the government and the rebels but also the civil society forums held in Doha besides the mediation’s visits to Darfur.

“We have seen in the mediation after consultation with you and with our regional and international partners to develop a comprehensive peace document to be a framework for resolving the Darfur issue,” Al-Mahmoud told the meeting.

He also reiterated the commitment of the Emir of Qatar and his government to continue supporting the mediation to reach a peaceful agreement in Darfur and to rehabilitate the war ravaged region.

The Sudanese officials said in the past days they are expecting to sign a peace agreement at the end of the conference with the rebel Liberation and Equality Movement (LJM) led by Tijani El-Sissi.

Ghazi Salah Al-Deen after his return from Doha last week stated that he convinced the mediator to present a final draft peace agreement to the stakeholders conference. He also alluded that a peace agreement might be signed with LJM disclosing that he met with LJM leader.

Tadjadine Bechir Niam, LJM chief negotiator, on Friday said their group may sign a peace agreement if the government agree to their demands in the power sharing chapter particularly the position of the vice-president and to top the referendum on Darfur administrative status.

Niam told Sudan Tribune Khartoum should allocate a post of vice-president to Darfur and to appoint someone agreed by the rebel groups and not from the ruling National Congress Party.

“If they do not agree on these issues we cannot sign a document that does not guarantee the minimum for Darfur people,” Niam said.

However Ahmed Tugud, head of JEM negotiating team in Doha, told Sudan Tribune that Bassole and Al-Mahmoud during the opening session “were very clear they will only hand over the outcome of their efforts to the conference”.

“So the mediation, above all, wants to get the feedback of participants at the conference and include it in a future document that will be the base for any negotiation between the parties,” Tugud said.

Asked about what Niam said about the signing of a peace agreement, Tugud stressed they do not think that all LJM leadership share what the former said. He also stressed that the mediation and the international community refuse such option because it does not represent a viable solution for the conflict.

Commissions and workshops will start Saturday discussions on key issues contained in six chapters of a draft peace agreement as power and wealth sharing, human rights and freedom, return of displaced persons and refugees, compensations and security arrangements.

The Prince of Qatar is expected to address the stakeholders conference at the closing session on 31 May where the findings of the conference will be put out by the mediation team.

Regional and International partners will hold a meeting to discuss the conclusions of the stakeholders. The US which is represented by Dane Smith and Princeton Lyman and the EU envoy support the idea of pursuing the negotiations in order to reach an inclusive and durable agreement.

The African Union and Sudanese government said they want to conclude the talks with the rebel groups and hold another internal process associating mainly the IDPs, civil society and tribal leaders.

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