Sudan preparing ‘Darfur-Darfur dialogue’ on peace deal

The Government of Sudan announced yesterday a meeting on January 15 to start preparing for intra-Darfur dialogue. This announcement follows a less formal presentation of the same idea by presidential advisor Ghazi Salah Al Din at the end of December, the day before Sudan’s delegation left the internationally-sponsored peace talks in Doha. Ghazi had described the plan as a way for Darfuris to assess the draft peace deal prepared by the mediators. The Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consulation (DDDC) would take place under the auspices of the Chairman of the Committee of African Elders, Thabo Mbeki. The DDDC was a mechanism established by the 2006 Abuja Agreement.

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rahmatallah Osman told reporters that the government requested a meeting with the ambassadors of the member of the Security Council in Khartoum yesterday to create a climate for management of the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue. He said the ambassadors had expressed full readiness to provide assistance to resolve the problem of Darfur. The Undersecretary appealed to the international community to provide adequate assistance to implement the government’s strategy for resolving the Darfur issue to the ground.