Sudan says Janjaweed disarmament is a matter of time
May 31, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese army assured that the disarmament of Janjaweed militias will be implemented soon saying it is a matter of time. Sudan also said it will be implemented in two stages
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) chief-of-staff, Gen Ismat Abdelrahman said that the implementation of the disarmament of Janjaweed militias was a matter of time which will take place in accordance with the prevalent international customs and norms on disarmament of the militias, such as providing them with work chances, security and protection and guarantees.
According to the Darfur Peace Agreement, complete, verifiable disarmament of Janjaweed militia must be done by mid-October, 2006. It also stipulates measures such as the containment of Janjaweed and other armed militias into specific restricted areas prior to disarmament, removal of heavy weapons.
The spokesman’s office said that the disarmament of Janjaweed militias will take place in two stages, the first one is voluntary and in which the militia men will be provided with financial compensations when they hand over their arms, while the second stage of the disarmament will be compulsory for these militias.
The SAF spokesman’s office referred to the possibility of conducting the disarmament process at the first voluntary stage.
The office of the SAF’s spokesman said that the peace agreement did not give a certain definition to the term of Janjaweed, adding that they regard this word as meaning, the outlaws, while “other circles” define this term as referring to Arab tribes.
He said that the definition of Janjaweed as meaning Arab tribes is erroneous because the outlaws were men and groups, but not whole tribes, adding that these outlaws can be belonging to any tribe regardless of its affiliation to Arab or other ethnicity.
The holdout rebel groups and the main faction of the SLM which signed the DPA with the Sudanese government ask for mechanism of verification on this sensitive issue. They also demand to oversee militias disarmament besides the international force.
The signed peace deal says Janjaweed and other armed militia will be disarmed before rebel forces assemble and prepare for their own disarmament and demobilization. So any manipulation on the disarmament process may lead to the failure of the peace process in Darfur.
(ST)