Former Darfur rebels want to take part in peace talks

December 28, 2008 (LONDON) — The former rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Minni Minawi asked today to take part in any peace talks to end Darfur conflict accusing the Sudanese government of not implementing a peace deal they signed two years ago.

Abdel-Gabar Dosa, a member of the SLM-MM leadership Council and former chief negotiator said today in a statement he emailed to Sudan Tribune that the National Congress Party led government has only implemented 8% of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) brokered by the African Union on May 5, 2006.

Dosa, who is also the SLM Secretary of Political Affairs, said that his movement wants to participate independently in the expected peace talks that should be held in the Qatari capital Doha.

“No one can sign any Agreement on behalf of us, in particular security arrangements, no one can force the Movement to comply with something that it is not part of its discussions, the same as the non-signatories to Abuja Agreement,” Dosa stated.

Minnawi had left the Sudanese capital for 4 months and informally suspended his participation in the government to protest the poor implementation of Abuja deal. Also, his troops clashed several times with the Sudanese army since his disaffection with Khartoum.

However he signed an agreement on September 19 with the Vice-President Ali Osman Taha to enforce the DPA within one month. The two parties agreed to include the DPA in the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of Sudan, and to represent his movement in the different national institutions and administrations. Also they adopted a series of security arrangements.

The SLM official accused the NCP of intending to delay the implementation of the DPA saying this stagnation indicts Khartoum decision to cancel the Abuja peace agreement.

“They have kept the Agreement in Coma for more than two years, and if they decided to commit a mercy kill,” he said. Warning they are “ready to bury it.”

Dosa denounced the Presidential pledge made at the Forum of Sudan’s People last November to allocate 20 million USD for individual compensation of Darfur people. He said they had agreed in the DPA on the sum of 30 million USD and it was supposed “to be allocated since the establishment of the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority (TDRA) and its Organs early April 2007.”

He also asked Khartoum to stop violating the security arrangements, alluding to the ongoing military build-up in Darfur where the Sudanese army deployed troops across the troubled region and the border with Chad.

“I also warn the NCP to refrain from its continued endeavours to jump over the sequencing process of the security arrangements, the prohibited activities must be stopped and our Partner must show discipline.”

As the international and regional focus their efforts on the non signatory’s rebels, Minawi tries to draw the attention to the ill-implementation of the peace deal that he signed with the government. The SLM MM also fears to be scarified on the altar of a new peace deal that would not take account of their movement.

(ST)