Outcome of Doha summit for Darfur ‘disappointing’ UN source says

An unidentified UN source declared that the outcome of the Doha donors’ conference for Darfur is “disappointing” as “rich nations refrained from making pledges”. The summit was hosted by Qatar between 7 and 8 April. “Big and rich countries led by the United States and Japan did not offer anything and contributions from the wealthy Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE were nominal”, he told the German Press Agency (DPA). According to an assessment $7.245 billion was deemed necessary for the development and reconstruction of Darfur and the conference raised almost $3.7 billion. The figure, however, includes the $2.6 billion the Sudanese government still needs to allocate in line with the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) it signed in 2011, of which the donors’ conference is part. “Raising less than $1 billion reflects absence of political will on the part of the donor countries. There was no significant contribution other than the Qatari’s”, the UN source said. Qatar contributed with $500 million and other donations came from the EU (€27.5 million), Germany (€60 million), Britain ($49.5 million) and Darfur’s neighbor Chad ($1 million), Sudan Tribune reports. The Sultanate of Oman announced that it will fund the development of the village of Halouf in South Darfur state. For his part, Dr. Tijani Sese, chairman of the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA), said the conference was “successful by 150%” as it was “strongly endorsed by political supporters”. He admitted not expecting it to have such a favorable outcome.  Dr. Tijani Sese is also head of the LJM, a rebel group from Darfur that signed the DDPD with the Sudanese government in 2011. DRA was created within the framework of the peace treaty and it is tasked with implementing the agreement. It comprises former rebel fighters as some of its members and Sese was appointed as the chairman. In October 2012, a breakaway faction of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) headed by Mohamed Bashar Ahmed indicated its intention to join the DDPD. The final accord with the government of Sudan was signed during the donors’ conference and former fighters were assigned positions within different state and federal levels. JEM says it does not have any links with JEM-Bashar.Implementation Meanwhile, UNAMID announced in a statement that the fifth meeting of the Implementation Follow-up Commission (IFC) was held on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar. The objective of the meeting is to “review the progress made so far in the implementation of the provisions of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), and to address issues of concern”, a statement read. A report presented by the Head of UNAMID and Joint Chief Mediator, Mr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, on the status of the implementation of the DDPD was considered during the convention. It acknowledged the continued cooperation between the Government of Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), and reaffirmed the international community’s support to the DDPD as the only framework for peace in Darfur, it was stated.  “The DDPD has greatly contributed to the decline in levels of violence and to bringing security that large parts of Darfur are enjoying today. It is true there are some challenges and difficulties, but we think that any serious delay or major shortcomings in the implementation of the Doha Document could have a negative impact on Darfur, Sudan and the entire region. For this reason, it is crucial to preserve and build on the various accomplishments made so far to achieve a sustainable peace in the region,” said IFC Chairperson, Mr. Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud, Deputy Prime Minister of the State of Qatar and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs. He perceived the donors’ conference as a “positive event” and called upon non-signatory groups to join the peace process as JEM-Bashar did. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Government of Sudan, LJM, JEM-Sudan, and the governments of Burkina Faso, Chad, China, Egypt, France, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States, the African Union, the League of Arab States, the European Union, and UNAMID.  The sixth summit is scheduled to take place in Darfur, in four months, UNAMID said.Photo: 6 April 2013, Doha: Left to right, Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud, Sudan’s State Minister at the Presidency, Amin Hassan Omer, Head of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), General Mohamed Bashar Ahmed, the UNAMID Deputy Joint Special Representative, Aichatou Mindaoudou Souleymane, and the UNAMID JSR, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, sign the peace agreement between the Government of Sudan and JEM on the basis of the DDPD (Albert González Farran/ UNAMID)Related: $3.7 billion raised for Darfur projects in Doha donors summit (8 April 2013)