AU’s Konaré calls for quick implementation of Darfur deal
Jun 20, 2006 (AL-FASHIR) — Chairman of AU Commission Alpha Oumar Konaré on Tuesday called for a quick implementation of a peace agreement signed last month between the Sudanese government and a main Darfur rebel faction.
“The Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) is an important step for the stabilization in Darfur and a compromise solution for ending the conflict,” Konare said in a meeting with local officials in al- Fashir, capital of the North Darfur state.
“I believe that all the requirements exist for the DPA to be a comprehensive agreement, and what we need is the quick action to implement it,” he said.
Konaré arrived in al-Fashir earlier in the day on a three-day working visit to Darfur.
During his visit, Konaré will exchange views with local government officials and representatives of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS) on the implementation of the DPA and practical steps toward a transition from an AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur to UN forces.
As for the transition issue, Konaré reiterated the AU’s support for Sudan’s sovereignty and independence, stressing that an international force could not be sent to Sudan without an agreement of Sudan and the AU.
Governor of the North Darfur state Osman Mohammed Yousef Kibr, on his part, urged the AU to exert more pressure on rebel movements which have so far refused to sign the DPA.
He said that the security and humanitarian situation in the region had continuously improved after the signing of the peace agreement.
“But that does not mean there is no problem,” the governor said, voicing hope that all the parties concerned would double their efforts to solve remaining problems.
The Sudanese government signed the DPA with the biggest faction in the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Minni Arkou Minawi in the Nigerian capital Abuja on May 5.
But the rival faction in the SLM led by Abdelwahid al-Nur and another smaller rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) led by Khalil Ibrahim, rejected the peace deal, claiming that it did not meet all of their demands.
(ST/Xinhua)