Darfur rebels meet Unamid head in Paris

The new Joint Special Representative for Darfur and head of the UN hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (Unamid), Jeremiah Mamabolo met with the leaders of the Sudanese opposition Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement’s Minni Minawi faction (SLM-MM) in Paris on Monday and Tuesday, to explore ways to revive the peace process in Darfur through negotiations.

Following the meeting, and as a gesture to underline their commitment to peace, the movements today declared a unilateral six-month humanitarian cease fire, effective 11.59 pm (Sudan time GMT +3) tonight.

Speaking to Radio Dabanga from the French capital on Tuesday, JEM leader Dr Jibril Ibrahim said that the two movements proposed that there should be a prior agreement on how to manage the dialogue, the negotiating parties, the role of mediators and facilitators and all the procedures that make the negotiations serious and viable.

Ibrahim explained that the two movements’ view is that the basic and the national issues and the issues of the affected provinces should be adopted as an agenda for the upcoming negotiations.

'…the first step requires agreement on whether the Doha Document is related to the upcoming negotiations or not…' – Jibril Ibrahim

Regarding the necessary steps the two movements need to be launched, Ibrahim said that the first step requires agreement on whether the Doha Document is related to the upcoming negotiations or not.

“If there is any relationship, this new agreement will begin with the signing of Cessation of Hostilities, creation of a climate for the release of prisoners and detainees, fundamental freedoms, lifting the State of Emergency, and then moving on to the national issues and the regions affected by the war.”

He stressed that the two movements have a clear vision on this position which they presented to the mediators and the government.

Revive negotiating process

SLM-MM head, Arko Minni Minawi told Radio Dabanga from Paris that the meetings with the head of Unamid dealt with how to revive the negotiating process with the government in Khartoum, restoration of confidence between the parties, and implementation of the recommendations of the previous meeting between the mediators and the two movements.

He described the meeting as successful, during which the two movements handed over a paper holding the obligations to be enforced to revive the negotiating process and its mechanisms.