Darfur rebel JEM sending small delegation to Doha

The Justice and Equality Movement said it was sending a small delegation to Doha based on the request of the Joint Mediator for Darfur peace talks, Djibril Bassole. The movement stated, however, that it’s not ready now to join the Doha negotiations. JEM’s announcement follows several efforts by the chief mediator to convince the rebels to return to talks. Bassole, a former minister of Burkina Faso, met with the JEM Chairman Khalil Ibrahim on 8 and 11 October in Tripoli. He met with other rebel figures in the movement in London more recently. Ahmed Hussein, spokesman for the Justice and Equality Movement, told Radio Dabanga that the delegation is going to Doha for brainstorming and to assess the seriousness of mediation to reform the Doha Forum. He said JEM is also concerned about giving members of the movement freedom to return to the field – a reference to Khalil Ibrahim’s demand to visit his troops in Darfur.The JEM spokesman said that the government has sought to quell the movement militarily, citing the words of the army’s military spokesman as evidence. He said the movement was ready for this if the army tries.