Negotiator sets cease-fire as condition for Khalil’s return to Darfur
The head of the government delegation to peace negotiations on Darfur, Dr. Amin Hassan Omar, said that neither Dr. Khalil Ibrahim, head of the Justice and Equality Movement, nor any other armed militants will be allowed to enter Darfur at all unless they first sign a cease-fire agreement with the government. Khalil Ibrahim is in Libya where he has lived since his expulsion from Chad in May of this year. He refuses to return to the negotiations at Doha, demanding first to be allowed to meet with his field commanders in Darfur. The foreign affairs secretary of JEM, Dr. Jibril Ibrahim, played down the significance of Dr. Omar’s demand for a ceasefire agreement. He said that the movement refuses to accept any pre-conditions set by the Sudanese government. Dr. Amin Hassan Omar’s remarks follow credible reports of plans to return Ibrahim to Darfur. The UN-AU Joint Chief Mediator of the peace talks, Djibril Bassole, disclosed to Sudan Tribune website on 5 September that he would hold a meeting with the rebel chief inside Darfur. He said he would “meet the concerned authorities in Ndjamena and Tripoli to facilitate his return to Darfur,” indicating that Ibrahim would enter Darfur from Chad rather than through Khartoum. Nonetheless, it is unlikely that this would be possible without some level of approval from Khartoum, since Chad-Sudan relations have improved dramatically over the last year.
The head of the government delegation to peace negotiations on Darfur, Dr. Amin Hassan Omar, said that neither Dr. Khalil Ibrahim, head of the Justice and Equality Movement, nor any other armed militants will be allowed to enter Darfur at all unless they first sign a cease-fire agreement with the government. Khalil Ibrahim is in Libya where he has lived since his expulsion from Chad in May of this year. He refuses to return to the negotiations at Doha, demanding first to be allowed to meet with his field commanders in Darfur.
The foreign affairs secretary of JEM, Dr. Jibril Ibrahim, played down the significance of Dr. Omar’s demand for a ceasefire agreement. He said that the movement refuses to accept any pre-conditions set by the Sudanese government.
Dr. Amin Hassan Omar’s remarks follow credible reports of plans to return Ibrahim to Darfur. The UN-AU Joint Chief Mediator of the peace talks, Djibril Bassole, disclosed to Sudan Tribune website on 5 September that he would hold a meeting with the rebel chief inside Darfur. He said he would “meet the concerned authorities in Ndjamena and Tripoli to facilitate his return to Darfur,” indicating that Ibrahim would enter Darfur from Chad rather than through Khartoum. Nonetheless, it is unlikely that this would be possible without some level of approval from Khartoum, since Chad-Sudan relations have improved dramatically over the last year.The office of the presidential advisor Ghazi Salah Al Din, who heads the Darfur dossier with the federal government, told state media on Monday that the government was not informed about any preparation by the UN to transport Khalil Ibrahim to Darfur. The statement said that the UN cannot do this without the knowledge and agreement of the Sudan government.
Photo: Sudan’s top negotiator Amin Hassan Omer (SMC photo, left) and JEM rebel chief Khalil Ibrahim (right).
and then