Minnawi has no place in Doha process for peace in Darfur – Sudanese official

June 3, 2011 (DOHA) — Sudan’s government chief negotiator rejected the involvement of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Minniw Minnawi in the Doha process but welcomed his return to finalize the implementation of Abuja peace deal signed five years ago.

Minnawi signed the Darfur Peace Agreement on 5 May 2006 and was appointed a senior presidential assistant from 2006 to 2010. But he lost his position after the general elections of April 2010 and rebelled again. Since, his troops clash with the government forces in Darfur.

“We reject the involvement of Minni Minnawi in the Doha Document for peace in Darfur he is not part of this process,” said the government top negotiator Amin Hassan Omer in an interview conducted in Doha after the adoption of a framework text for peace in Darfur.

“He is part of the Abuja peace agreement and there was no reason to denounce the peace pact his signed,” in further said.

Minnawi “has no reason to get out of the peace agreement except the arrangements he concluded with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement,” the Sudanese official said.

The rebel leader was residing in Juba for more than 10 months as Khartoum accused the government of southern Sudan of supporting Minnawi’s combatants who clashed several times in North and South Darfur states with the Sudanese army.

Amin said the government is ready to resume talks with him but only on the basis of Abuja peace agreemen.

The Secretary general of the Sudanese Communist Party Ibrahim Nugud who was in Doha to attend the gathering told Sudan Tribune that both Al-Nur and Minnawi have to join the peace process in Doha and pledged that the opposition parties will seek to convince them to join the process.

Amin told Sudan Tribune in a previous statement that Minnawi can be part of Abdel Wahid Nur delegation to Doha when the latter decide to engage talks.

Minnawi and Nur signed last May an alliance agreement and agreed to work together for peace and war.

Delegates from Darfur civil society, displaced people and refugees as well as tribal leaders endorsed a framework document which will serve as ground for any deal to end the eight year old conflict in western Sudan on 31 May in the Qatari capital.

Also the government and rebel Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) said they will sign a peace agreement within two of three weeks while the Justice and Equality Movement welcomed the adoption of the text and said

(ST)