FACTBOX- Contentious issues in Darfur draft peace agreement
May 1, 2006 (ABUJA) — The government of Sudan and rebels from the Darfur region have until Tuesday night to thrash out a peace agreement based on an 85-page draft presented by African Union (AU) mediators at peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria.
Following is a list of some of the most contentious issues and the compromise solutions proposed by the AU draft.
DARFUR REGION
The rebels want Darfur, currently made up of three states, to be declared a region. A Darfur regional government would be a new tier of government between the three states and Sudan’s central government.
The government wants any decision to create a Darfur region to be based on the outcome of a popular referendum.
The AU proposes a Transitional Darfur Regional Authority with significant powers and representation of the rebel movements. At the end of an interim period, a referendum would be held on the question of whether to have a permanent region.
VICE PRESIDENCY
The rebels want a new post of Sudanese vice president to be created that would always be held by a Darfurian.
The government argues this would upset a delicate balance in the Sudanese presidency that was established by a peace agreement that ended a much longer conflict between the North and the South. The North provides the president and the second vice president, while the South provides the first vice president. The government says Darfur is part of the North.
The AU proposes that Darfur should get a Senior Assistant to the President who would be the fourth-ranking member of the presidency.
COMPENSATION
The rebels want individual compensation for the victims of war in Darfur.
The government wants compensation to be provided on a communal basis as part of the package of reconstruction.
The AU proposes the establishment of a Compensation Fund but says until a detailed assessment is made, it cannot put figures on the funding needed for the Fund to work.
JANJAWEED DISARMAMENT
The rebels consider the Janjaweed, tribal militias used by the government to crush their rebellion, a genocidal force and want them completely disarmed as a pre-condition for a return to normalcy in Darfur.
The government argues that Darfur has many tribal militias who are considered legitimate by their communities and who have not been involved in atrocities against civilians. It does not want to disarm all of these and it wants the mechanisms for verifying Janjaweed disarmament to reflect its concern.
The AU draft says the government should disarm “Janjaweed/armed militias” and this should be verified by AU troops in Darfur before the rebels are required to assemble and disarm.
(Reuters)