Presidential advisor rules out trip to Darfur for exiled rebel chief

The Sudan government announced through presidential advisor Dr. Ghazi Salah Al Din that it will not allow the mediation to bring an exiled rebel chief into Darfur. The head of the Justice and Equality Movement, Khalil Ibrahim, demands to see his field commanders in Darfur before resuming peace negotiations in Doha, Qatar. He has been stranded in Libya since making a failed attempt to return to the field after the peace talks broke down in May.

The chief mediator, Djibril Bassole, had earlier revealed he was making plans to bring Khalil into Darfur. It was never clear, however, that he had the permission of the government, especially since he said he would consult with Chadian authorities to facilitate the rebel chief’s return.

Ghazi and Bassole met yesterday in Khartoum. At a press conference after their meeting, Ghazi said that Bassole did not request permission for Khalil to return to Darfur. “If the demand is presented it would not be acceptable,” said Ghazi. Earlier this week, the government’s top negotiator for Darfur had demanded that JEM first sign a cease-fire as a pre-condition for Khalil’s return.

The spokesman of JEM, Ahmed Hussein Adam, strongly rejected Dr. Ghazi’s statement. He said that Dr. Khalil’s return to the field is not something to be gifted or granted by the government, but rather is a right guaranteed under international law. He said that in this regard the ball is now in the court of the mediator.