Tripoli meeting warns Darfur rebels against obstructing peace process
July 16, 2007 (TRIPOLI) — Tripoli meeting has addressed a clear warning to Darfur rebel groups threatening to take the appropriate measures though the UN Security Council to punish any obstruction of the initiated peace process.
In what can remind the aftermath of Abuja peace talks, the Tripoli meeting on Darfur political process ended its works by adopting a final communiqué urging the holdout rebel groups to finalize their preparations for the forthcoming talks.
The meeting also warned the non signatory rebel movements that “any hindrance to the political process would be addressed through appropriate measures by the UN Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council.”
In his speech before the opening session of Tripoli conference on Sunday, the UN envoy for Sudan, Jan Eliasson said “the unification of the rebel movements is key to the success of the process.” He also said that UN and AU negotiators are in near daily contact with the roughly dozen rebel groups, but many have not yet agreed to join the talks. His AU counterpart Salim Ahmed Salim added “Each day brings more suffering and destruction, but also a radicalisation on the ground,” he further deplored the militarisation of Darfur refugee camps.
The meeting, on the other hand, institutionalized the role played by neighboring countries like Chad, Libya and Eritrea. This formal recognition could lead to accord an important role to some countries rejected by the rebel groups.
Five small rebel factions formed a new alliance last Saturday in Asmara under the patronage of the Eritrean government to present a united front for peace negotiations with Khartoum. But rebels described the move as an instrumentalization to falsify the representation of Darfur holdout rebels.
Tripoli conference backed a proposal by the AU-UN envoys to hold a meeting to facilitate the preparation for peace talks in Arusha, Tanzania, for the “leading personalities” of the different non signatories without elaborating. But it was specified that the invitations for the peace talks would be issued by the AU and UN chiefs.
Arusha meeting will take place on 3-5 August.
The SPLM failed to hold a finding common ground meeting between the different rebel groups. Initially, the First Vice President salva Kiir had pledged to convene the meeting in Juba.
Khartoum has been accused of sponsoring a genocidal crackdown in Darfur through its Janajaweed militia since rebels took up arms in 2003 complaining of injustice and marginalisation by the Islamist government. The United Nations estimates about 200,000 people have been killed and two million displaced.
(ST)