Darfur civil society initiative calls for resumption peace negotiations

A group of Darfuri civil society members, united in the Initiative in Support of the Peace Process in Darfur, have handed a memorandum to the head of Unamid in which they call for the resumption of peace negotiations. The Initiative plans to hand a copy to the President of Sudan. The memorandum, submitted to the head of the joint African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (Unamid), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, calls for the need to compel the Sudanese government to abide by the international rules of internal armed conflicts, and respect the rights of civilians on the ground in all parts of Darfur. The civil society activists emphasise the need to resume of the peace negotiations between the parties “in a manner that leads to a comprehensive peace and provides legal protection to the civilians in Darfur”. They point to the “challenges facing the peace process in Darfur”, and call upon the head of the mission to alert the peace negotiators and partners about the atrocities happening in Darfur. “The attacks on civilians are not only violations of public international and humanitarian laws, but also of the 2011 Doha Document for Peace in Darfur, the Sudanese Constitution and laws.” Abdallah Adam Khater, a prominent Darfur civil society leader told Radio Dabanga that copies of the memorandum have been handed over to the leaders of the armed Liberation and Justice Movement, the Justice and Equality Movement, the Sudanese Liberation Movement factions led by Abdel Wahid El Nur, and by Minni Minawi, besides to the governors of the five Darfur states, and the head of the Darfur Regional Authority, Dr Tijani Sese. Khater said that arrangements are underway to meet with Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir and to hand him the memorandum. The Initiative includes “leaders of armed movements who laid down arms”, political activists from the Alliance for Darfur, members of Darfur First, and other parties representing the people of Darfur. Rapid Support Forces’ attacks The Initiative also presented a report on the situation in Darfur at a press conference in Khartoum this week. According to the report 619 people were killed in attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur during the past three months. “The widespread attacks of the Sudanese security apparatus commanded RSF and foreign mercenaries on rural areas in Darfur have caused the displacement of a total of 230,000 people during the last three months. “168 villages burned down entirely and 83 villages partially.” The report said that the SRF militia attacks on the area southeast of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur at the end of February, have resulted in the death of 58 people. 16 people went missing. There were 70 rape cases reported, and 30 young women aged between 14 and 20 years have been abducted. The attacks on 127 villages in the area caused 40,000 people to flee their homes and seek refuge in the camps for the displaced around Nyala. 12,000 heads of cattle, 29,000 sheep, 11,000 goats and 350 camels were stolen. In the area of Hijer, the value of goods robbed by the militiamen from more than 200 shops and stores amounted to about a billion of Sudanese pounds, and about one billion and a half in the area of ​​Um Gunja, where 60 shops were plundered. Traders at the Zurga market lost approximately SDG780,000 ($135,872).  Photo: 6 April 2014. Residents of Khor Abeche camp for the displaced in South Darfur at the nearby Unamid base. They sought refuge at the base when the camp was attacked by RSF troops on 22 March (Albert González Farran/Unamid) Related:Unamid to deploy 6,000 to protect South Darfur displaced (20 April 2014) Head Unamid indicates reduction Darfur peace mission (11 April 2014) Unamid protects newly displaced in North and South Darfur (7 April 2014)