Darfur Peace Joint Commission calls on Sudan to disarm militias

The Third Meeting of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) Joint Commission was held on Tuesday in Khartoum. The meeting was chaired by the African Union-United Nations Joint Special Representative and Joint Chief Mediator, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, and was attended by the signatories to the DDPD, the Government of Sudan, the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) and the Justice and Equality Movement-Sudan (JEM-Sudan) as well as representatives from Qatar, the League of Arab States, and the European Union as members of the Commission. China, Canada and Norway attended as observers. Disarmament of militias  An important point was the attention given to the continued threats posed by militia groups, outlaws and criminal elements in Darfur in achieving peaceful co-existence among communities and the overall peace in the region, which are also an impediment to reconstruction and development activities.The Commission called upon the CFC and the Government of Sudan to further discuss the proposals made by the government on the disarmament of militias, and determine the way forward. Furthermore the Commission considered the report presented the CFC on the status of the implementation of the provisions of the Permanent Ceasefire and Final Security Arrangements of the DDPD. It deliberated on the implementation modalities for limited arms control and noted the willingness of both parties to continue to work closely and cooperate with the CFC in defining the modalities of limited arms control in accordance with the provisions of the DDPD. The Commission stressed the crucial role of the international community in achieving durable peace in Darfur and encouraged international partners to provide continued support to the implementation of the DDPD, particularly through commitment of much-needed resources to the realisation of the Final Security Arrangements which is foundational to the overall security and peace of Darfur. Integration of former combatants The Third Meeting’s final communiqué issued today stated that the Commission noted the agreement of the Government of Sudan and LJM to integrate three LJM battalions composed of 2,430 combatants into the Sudan Armed Forces and the police. The Commission urged both parties to agree on a realistic number of LJM combatants who will undergo a Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) process while taking into full consideration future negotiations determining the number of combatants of JEM-Sudan and potentially other non-signatory movements.As for JEM-Sudan, the Commission received the report of JEM-Sudan on the progress towards security arrangements with the Sudanese government and urged the two parties to work very closely with the Ceasefire Commission (CFC) on verification of JEM-Sudan’s military dispositions, with a view to their subsequent integration, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. The next meeting of the DDPD Joint Commission will be held in May 2014 in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. The Commission was set up to resolve disputes among parties, referred to it by the CFC, and for ensuring the effective implementation of the provisions of the Final Security Arrangements of the DDPD. The Commission is composed of representatives of the signatories to the DDPD, representatives of Qatar, the Arab League, and the European Union, and observers from Canada, China and Norway. File photo: Head of the Darfur Regional Authority, Dr Tijani Sese (L) and Dr Amin Hassan Omar, head of the Darfur Peace Follow-up Office attend the opening ceremony of the Inaugural meeting of the Joint Commission on 18 December 2011 (Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Unamid) Related:13 JEM-Sudan prisoners released in Khartoum and North Darfur (19 February 2014)JEM-Sudan resumes Darfur peace protocol (28 January 2014) ‘First meeting in Qatar very positive’: Darfur Regional Authority (9 January 2014)