Peace negotiations: 20% of Sudan civil servants to be Darfuri

The Sudanese government and the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebel alliance agreed during the peace negotiations in Juba yesterday to allocate 20 per cent of the Sudanese civil service to Darfuris.

Mohamed El Taayshi, spokesman for the government delegation, said in a press statement after negotiations on the Darfur track on Monday, that the mechanism to realise the 20 per cent Darfuri representation must be completed within six months. He said criteria must be drawn-up on population, positive discrimination, eligibility, efficiency and competences.

The two delegations also agreed to commission a study from the National Civil Service Reform Commission on the historical (mis)representation of Darfuris in the civil service.

The 20 per cent representation will apply to ministries, ambassadors, diplomatic missions, commissions, government agencies, government-owned companies, managers, and intermediate jobs.

The mechanism to realise the 20 per cent representation will submit its report to the National Civil Service Reform Commission, and both the government and the SRF. The prime minister is to issue decisions to end the Darfuri misrepresentation in the civil service within 45 days of receiving the report.

Ahmed Tugud, member of the SRF Darfur track team, considers the agreement a major achievement for the peace process. He emphasised that nothing like this has been reached during negotiations with the former regime. He said that the misrepresentation of Darfuris in the civil service is one of the causes of the conflict in Darfur.

He said that the two parties will now negotiate wealth, compensation and security arrangements. He hoped a final agreement can be reached within the agreed period of three weeks.

On Friday, the delegations of the transitional government and the SRF in Juba signed a final peace agreement on the eastern Sudan track.

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