African Union and UN work on new road map for peace in Darfur
October 26, 2011 (NEW YORK) — The United Nations and the African Union, in collaboration with Sudanese stakeholders, are developing a new road map for comprehensive peace in Darfur, a UN official disclosed yesterday.
The briefing took place two days after the return to Khartoum of the leader of Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) Tijani el-Sissi, who was sworn in as chairperson of Darfur Regional Authority before to fly to Darfur. His arrival was seen as the official inauguration o f the implementation of Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) signed last July.
“Following extensive consultations between the United Nations and the African Union, as well as with the parties to the conflict and members of the International Follow-Up Commission, UNAMID presented the main elements of the road map to international partners at the fourth retreat of Special Envoys in El Geneina on 19 October,” Ladsous said.
The “support to the implementation of the DDPD; sustained engagement with hold-out movements; and support, in principle, to internal dialogue among the people of Darfur on the peace process,” are the three main elements of this road map, according to a copy of his speech in French and English obtained by the Sudan Tribune.
The new head of UN peacekeeping department pointed out that the final version of road map will be finalised by the end of the year after more consultations.
“Provision will be made for the outcomes of the 16 and 17 November workshop in Washington to be reflected in the road map,” he further underlined.
The State Department and the US Institute for Peace are organizing a workshop on Darfur. ‘The State and Direction of the Peace Process’ will take place in Washington at mi-November to discuss the DDPD and the possible ways to reach a comprehensive peace ending the eight year conflict.
The Sudanese government will not participate in the meeting. Khartoum said it will determine its position on the outcome of the workshop once it is announced.
Ladsous told the Security Council that during a series of meetings supported by the hybrid mission for community, leaders and civil society groups with the IDPs, UNMAID realised that the DDPD has a broad support among the residents of IDPS camps.
However, he said, the IDPs regretted the absence of Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the two factions of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM). The residents of Darfur camps also acknowledged that the success of DDPD depended largely on the goodwill of the government to implement its provisions.
(ST)