Tigani Sese calls for government and JEM to respect ceasefire

The Liberation and Justice Movement called for all parties to exercise restraint and respect for the ceasefire agreements. Dr. Tigani Sese, president of the LJM, appealed to the government and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) to respect the ceasefire, especially while the negotiations are supposed to be ongoing. Tigani Sese leads a loosely knit rebel coalition that is continuing its participation at the Doha peace talks, whereas JEM withdrew from the talks on 2 May. His remarks come amid reports of several clashes between JEM and the government forces, in which 168 fighters from both sides were killed, according to government-run media. Negotiations among the parties in Doha were scheduled to resume in mid May, but they have been postponed. Qatari State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ahmed bin Abdalla Al-Mahmoud announced yesterday that the Darfur peace negotiations will not begin until the last week of May. The Qataris act as host of the talks and play a role in the mediation.