JEM rebels reject regional initiatives to end Darfur conflict
April 12, 2009 (PARIS) — The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) has rejected any new regional initiatives to achieve peace in Darfur saying efforts by neighbor states aim to save the Sudanese President and put aside the suffering of the affected civilians in the war torn region.
Egypt and Libya have recently staged a series of contacts with Darfur rebel groups to see how they can contribute to reach a negotiated solution for the six year conflict in Darfur. Meanwhile JEM suspended its participation at Doha peace process accusing the government of breaching it with the expulsion of some 13 aid groups.
“These regional initiatives come on the background of the African Union and Arab League plans aiming at suspending the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s arrest warrant against Al-Bashir,” said JEM official spokesperson Ahmed Hussein Adam.
Adam further said these regional moves are motivated by rivalry and struggle for regional influence and hence complicate the conflict more than providing a real support for its solution.
“They are working to settle their differences at the expense of the people of Darfur and we call on them either to have a positive participation or stop interfering in the conflict,” he pointed out.
The rebel official refused to name these countries. However he added that one of these countries gathered some people who are without presence on the ground and works to impose them on the peace talks while another seeks to topple Doha efforts due to differences over other issues.
Adam said that Khartoum is happy with these interferences and seek to exploit it and give the image of peace seeker. “The Sudanese government is spoiling Doha process and didn’t implement the goodwill agreement but nobody ask them about that,” he pointed out.
JEM spokesperson said they went to Doha to demonstrate their determination to reach a peaceful solution, however the international community didn’t react to the ousting of international groups and the suffering of the displaced civilians in Darfur.
He also slammed the “Arab and African supportive stance” for the eviction of the aid workers from Darfur.
The Arab summit held by the end of March in the Qatari capital Doha supported the Sudanese president against the ICC arrest warrant and decided also to provide 8 million dollars monthly to fill the humanitarian gaps as well as to encourage Arab NGOs to work in Darfur after the ousting of 13 aid groups accused of cooperating with the ICC.
JEM suspended its participation in the Doha process and accused Khartoum of violating a goodwill agreement signed with Khartoum. Also the rebel group asked the joint mediator and the host country to shoulder their responsibilities and to press Khartoum to respect the deal and to reverse its decision on the aid groups.
Darfur peace mediator Djibril Bassolé is expected to meet JEM leadership on April 18 to discuss the outstanding issues in the peace process. Bassolé had deplored the eviction of aid groups.
Adam said the mediation has to focus its efforts with the Sudanese government to return the expelled groups and to implement the other provisions of the goodwill agreement.
He also warned the current situation encourages Khartoum to destabilize the regional security and “to open the door to all possibilities.”
(ST)
garang peter majok
JEM rebels reject regional initiatives to end Darfur conflict
RIVER NILE WOULD HAVE REVEALED MOST IF IT COULD SPEAK.IN FACT EGYPT AND LIBYA ARE PART OF THE CONFICT.
It is absolutely right of J.E.M to reject any regional interference as it all aimed to protect BASHIR from going to court.if Egypt and Libya really mean to initiate peace to Durfourian but not conniving with Albashir on completely killing the survivors first genocide,then they should consider the reversing the decision of AID agents and look into what is called no-fly zone of any military plane over the civilian and kills at large numbers every day.
Libya once said that it do consider Durfour issue as tribal conflict which does not need involvement of international community.maybe between Arabs and people of Durfour and this is what took place now every Arab country is claiming to have got a best solution to the conflict,yes,”to kill them all” that will be a better option off-course but not now,it could have been at 1980s where you have killed millions and millions of people of southern sudanese without being known by the world.Libya and Egypt are in fact,part of the conflict but not peace makers.
Egypt said that it would sent 40 medical doctors than to say no don,t expulled them,don,t do that people will die more and you will have implicated the issue than solving it. the expulsion of AID group actually marks the begining of another mass killing compaign regardless of wether the do gives informations to ICC or not.Off-course they are working to make them live not make them die,and if any one is killing them in huge numbers then the can tell the truth to the world not even to ICC alone.sudan has no legitamacy to expulled them on that ground.