Northern opposition against anticipated Darfur peace deal

The National Umma Party downplayed the significance of a potential agreement between the government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), which is ready to pen a peace document prepared by mediators in Doha. A party official told Radio Dabanga that the party will not recognize the agreement. Saddig Mohammed Ismail, retired lieutenant-general and secretary-general of the Umma Party in an interview said that the Doha Forum was deviating toward endorsement of bilateral agreements rather than bringing solutions to address the root of the crisis in Darfur. He said the deal would not restore the rights of the people of Darfur. He also said that individual bilateral agreements (as opposed to a comprehensive one) will complicate matters more. He said that the agreement, once signed on paper, would fail on the ground because the LJM has no military presence. He also argued that the now defunct Abuja Agreement of 2006 had a better chance of success than the anticipated Doha agreement, due to the military activity of the sides involved signing the former one.