UNAMID head briefs Sudanese gov’t on meeting with Darfur groups

Mai 14, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – UNAMID Joint Special Representative, Kingsley Mamabolo, has briefed the Sudanese government about the outcome of his recent meeting with armed groups in Darfur.

Mamabolo held a meeting with the Sudan Liberation Movement – Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) earlier this month in Paris to discuss ways to reach a peace deal in Darfur.

The South African diplomat was received by the Sudanese Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Abdel-Ghani al-Nai’m on Sunday. The meeting discussed the recent political developments in the country following the formation of the national dialogue government.

Also, Mamabolo briefed al-Nai’m about his efforts to reach the leaders of armed groups in Darfur and his dialogue with them to join the peace process, further said the foreign ministry.

The two groups which are part of the peace process brokered by the African Union refuse to engage peace talks on the basis of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), while Khartoum says the framework document is now part of the constitution and represents the pillar of peace in Darfur.

On 3 May 2017, the two groups handed over a position paper where they reiterated their commitment to reach a negotiated settlement with the government.

They further stressed on the need “to address the rules of procedure and other protocol issues for how negotiations on Darfur would proceed, so as to ensure parity and effective communication among the parties,” says position paper seen by Sudan Tribune.

The two groups further said they want negotiations on substantive issues including the root causes of the conflict, and its consequences.

(ST)