Ceasefire commission urges Darfur rebel groups to withdraw troops
Oct 15, 2005 (ABUJA) — The ceasefire commission in Darfur has called on Darfur rebels to withdraw without delay from the areas of Labado, Ashma, Graida and Marla in South Darfur State.
This call was issued at a meeting of the ninth session of the commission in Nadjamena Friday, which was headed by the Chadian Minister of Interior, General Mohamed Abdalla, and in the presence of General Mohamed Ahmed Al-Dabi and Ambassador Osman Dirar from the government party, besides Chairman of rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), Abdul-Wahid Mohamed Nur, and Ahmed Tugad from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
The United Nations says some 180,000 have died in what it describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Nearly 2 million people have fled their homes.
Sudan’s representative Ambassador Dirar told SUNA that control over these areas was delivered by the government to the African Union mission, but the rebel movements have occupied them once again. He said that the ceasefire commission has demanded immediate evacuation of the rebels from the said areas. Ambassador
Dirar said that the committee has denounced the violations of the rebel movements, especially by SLM, to the cease-fire as well as their attacks on the AU forces and the relief convoys.
He indicated that the commission called on the parties to define the sites which are under their control, on ground that the implementation of the cease-fire depends on the determination of these locations. He said that the government has already delivered to the African Union documents including maps on the location of its forces.
Sudanese Ambassador said that the commission has appreciated the government agreement on arrival of 35 armoured vehicles of the African Union.
He said that the ceasefire commission in Darfur urged the parties to reaffirm their commitment to the cease-fire and other agreements which they earlier signed, and to provide a suitable climate for success of the current negotiations in Abuja.
The commission includes representatives from the European Union, the United States, the African Union, the United Nations and the governments of Sudan and Chad.
The Sudanese parties signed an agreement Friday May 29, 2004 in the premises of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, on setting up a ceasefire commission and deployment of monitors in Darfur.
(ST)