Darfur: JEM leader shuns AU punishment provisos as ‘ridiculous’

Dr Jibril Ibrahim, head of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), denounced the African Union’s threats to punish the holdout armed movements if they do not comply with the Doha Document in three months and described the threats as ridiculous.

In an interview with Radio Dabanga, Dr Ibrahim was referring to treats last month by the African Union’s Peace and Security Council (PSC), which pointed to “the lack of commitment on the part of the non-signatory Darfur armed movements” and urged them to engage discussions with the government on the basis of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).

The council urged mediators to make progress in the resolution of the Darfur conflict in the upcoming three months, and threatened to sanction those who continue to hinder the ongoing efforts for a lasting peace.

Ibrahim harshly criticised the DDPD and said it was not concerned with resolving the Darfur crisis but with creating jobs.

“The AU’s threat to the movement is a recognition of the failure of the DDPD and an attempt to make the movements look responsible for its failure and shortcomings,” he said.

“The report of the Panel of Experts to the UN Security Council, which accused the movements of fighting in Libya and South Sudan as an attempt to cover-up the inability of the international community to achieve peace in Sudan.

He strongly denied involvement of the movements in fighting in Libya and South Sudan as the report claimed.

‘Declining priorities’

Ibrahim launched a sharp attack on the international community and the African Union and accused them of not being serious about bringing peace to Sudan, pointing out “the declining priorities of the international community in Sudan from the issues of violations of human rights and freedoms to the war on terrorism and illegal migration”.

He denied that the constitutional declaration of Sudan Call forces in Paris had stripped the movements of their weapons and dropped military action but rather confirmed the armed movements' adherence to military action.

He added that the Sudan Call’s adoption of the peaceful option aims to protect the parties and civil organisations from the consequences of military operations carried out by the armed movements in the future.

Armed action

The JEM leader said that they would continue military action through the Revolutionary Front or the movements, stressing that the constitutional declaration of Sudan Call does not prevent the movements from armed action.

He said that the Sudan Call alliance is concerned with civil political action and has nothing to do with military action, adding that the armed movements carried out military operations after the establishment of alliance of Sudan Call.

Comprehensive peace

He conditioned the armed movements' abandonment of military action with reaching a comprehensive peace agreement that would restore the rights of displaced persons and refugees, lift historic injustices and achieve equality among citizens.

He called on young people to join the battlefields in order to overthrow the regime.

The forces of the Sudan Call have elected El Sadig El Mahdi as President of the Council, explaining that El Mahdi has been leading the meetings of Sudan Call since its founding by virtue of age and experience.

‘Unite Sudanese Opposition’

He said that the main objective of the movement organised by the forces of Sudan Call is to unite the Sudanese opposition by holding an expanded conference bringing together the opposition factions at home and abroad to agree on a plan to change the regime.

The meeting agreed to escalate an intensive programme to step up a popular movement at home to resist the economic policies that are complicating the situation in the country.

He explained that Sudan Call will carry out an extensive diplomatic campaign to reach out to the international, regional and Arab community to remind the international community of the values it advocates for and explain what is happening in Sudan.