‘Exert pressure on the government’

Armed opposition groups in Darfur ask international envoys to convince the government to ensure peace rather than lay blame on themThe armed opposition groups in Darfur demanded on Thursday that the international envoys to Sudan exert pressure on the government in Khartoum to find solutions in Darfur.The response came in the light of the international envoys demanding on Wednesday that resistance forces join peace talks without any preconditions. Special envoys from 14 countries met in El Geneina, West Darfur on Wednesday to discuss ways ahead in Darfur.The opposition groups came back strongly by asking the United Nations African Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to carry out its prime responsibility of protecting civilians from military operations carried out by the Sudanese armed forces rather than lay blame the opposition and threaten them.Murshal Abdullah, spokesperson of the Sudan Liberation Army-Minni Minnawi (SLA-MM), said that the army valued the role of the envoys but thought that the Darfur issue hadn’t been understood in its entirety and seriousness. He asked the international community to exert pressure on Khartoum to stop attacks against unarmed civilians rather than threaten the resistance movements.“We would like UNAMID to change its approach towards the problem. Right now it seems as though Gambari is working for the Sudanese government,” Abduallah told Radio Dabanga.Meanwhile, Jibril Adam Bilal, spokesperson of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), said that the movement had remained committed to a peaceful settlement in Darfur for the past two and a half years but had received no reciprocation from the Sudanese government. “The government-backed militias still continue to target civilians in Darfur. Gambari is issuing hidden threats,” he said.In the same context, Ahmed Ibrahim, head of foreign relations for SLA-Abdel Wahid, said that the group will not fall prey to any pressure exerted by the international community to sign the peace process. “The peace process doesn’t ensure peace for the people of Darfur and nobody can force us to join talks,” he said.The Doha Peace Agreement was signed between the government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) in Khartoum in July earlier this year. Most armed opposition groups refrained from joining due its non-inclusive nature.