FCC: Conference on Juba Peace Agreement to begin on Tuesday

The arrangements for the launch of the conference on the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA) on Tuesday have been completed, according to Mohamed Abdelhakam, leading member of Sudan’s Federal Association and the Forces for Freedom and Change-Central Council (FFC-CC).

In an interview with Radio Dabanga, Abdelhakam says that “111 seats have been allocated to displaced people, in addition to 80 seats for representatives of the conflict regions Darfur, Blue Nile, and South and West Kordofan. 43 seats are reserved for nomads, 20 for women groups, and 30 for members of the resistance committees.”

“The conference, in which about 400 people will participate, aims to review the JPA in line with its signatories and stakeholders,” he said.

Abdelhakam explained that the rebel movements that signed the Framework Agreement are given seats from the 96 seats allocated to the signatories of the agreement.

El Wasig El Bereir, Secretary-General of the National Umma Party (NUP) and member of the Executive Bureau of the FFC-CC also confirmed to Radio Dabanga yesterday that the conference on the review of the JPA will start in Khartoum on Tuesday, with the participation of 60 per cent of the signatories of the JPA and 40 per cent of the non-signatories of the agreement.

He told Radio Dabanga that all invitees confirmed their attendance except two rebel groups.

“Of the rebel movements that signed the JPA in October 2020, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Transitional Council (SLM-TC) faction headed by El Hadi Idris, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction led by Malik Agar (SPLM-N Agar), the Sudanese Alliance led by Khamees Abakar, and the Sudan Liberation Forces Gathering, will attend the conference,” he said. “The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement faction of Minni Minawi refuse to participate.”

It was agreed in November last year that negotiations between the signatories of the Framework Agreement on five contentious issues (empowerment removal, transitional justice, reform of security and military institutions, a review of the JPA, and the issue of eastern Sudan) were to be launched in five dialogue conferences in Khartoum. The outcomes would be discussed with the military and laid down in a Final Agreement with the ruling junta after which a new civilian government of technocrats is to be formed.

On Thursday, the FFC-CC, originally responsible for the organisation of five dialogue conferences announced that the AU-IGAD-UNITAMS Trilateral Mechanism would take over the organisation of the conferences on the review of the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA) and the governance of eastern Sudan.

Rebel leader El Hadi Idris said in a press conference after his return from Juba on Saturday that the dialogue conference on the JPA will be held “before the end of the month”.

The dialogue on empowerment removal concluded in Khartoum earlier this month.

The planned conferences on (transitional) justice, and security and military reform that were supposed to be discussed before the signing of a final agreement with the military, have been postponed until after the formation of a new transitional government, FFC-CC announced yesterday.