‘Conflicts within Darfur’s LJM will not lead to a split’: Sese

The head of the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), Dr El Tijani Sese, has admitted the existence of conflicts within the movement, but denied they may lead to a split.

Sese also said that preparations to integrate LJM ex-combatants into the Sudanese army are in process. “They will start in El Fasher, El Geneina, and Zalingei in the upcoming days.”

He denied that there are factions within the movement being reluctant to implement the security arrangements, as stipulated in the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).

“Internal conflicts should not be discussed in the media,” the LJM head told reporters in Khartoum on Saturday. “Individual statements by LJM leaders to the media may cause problems on a regional and international level.”

The LJM, formed in 2010 by 19 breakaway factions of the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Movement, signed the DDPD in 2011 with the Sudanese government. Yet, simmering conflicts about the delayed implementation of the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme seem to have divided the movement.

On 28 December, Bahar Idris Abu Garda, LJM Secretary-General announced in a press conference in Khartoum that the LJM intends to join the upcoming elections of April 2015 as a political party. He admitted that this will be a challenge considering the little time left.

The LJM is allowed to register as a political party, after a start has been made with the implementation of the security arrangements. Yet, the LJM Leadership Council recently decided to postpone parts of the security arrangements, which pushed a number of LJM factions to unilaterally form a committee to monitor the DDR implementation in the field. 

Abu Garda had not informed the LJM leadership about the press conference he gave on 28 December.