Darfur rebel faction signs peace agreement with Khartoum
June 7, 2007 (EL-GENAINA) — A rebel faction which defected from the National Redemption Front (NRF) has joined the Darfur Peace Agreement, Sudan official news agency SUNA reported today.
A Darfur rebel group, headed by the former governor of West Darfur State, Ibarhim Yahia, has inked an initial agreement on Thursday in El Genaina, to join the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA). The group encompasses members from the National Redemption Front (NRF): the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM).
Following several failed attempts to elect an executive body, the one year old front appears on the verge of disintegration with its member working alone.
The NRF was founded on June 30, 2006 in the Eritrean capital Asmara. The members of the front are the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) headed by Khalil Ibrahim, Sudan Liberation Movement Army (SLM) lead by Khamis Abdalla Abakr, and the Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance (SFDA) jointly led by Ahmed Ibrahim Diraig and Sharif Harir.
The Eritrean government played a vital role in the creation of this front that consisted of the non-signatory rebel groups. The purpose was to unify them under one umbrella to renegotiate with Khartoum.
The Commissioner of Genaina and member of the committee who arranged the deal, Dr. Fadlalla Ahmed Abdalla, said that the group members are citizens of the Massalet tribe.
Abdalla added that the signature ceremony with the group will be held next Saturday at El-Genaina, in the presence of a high level federal delegation headed by the Presidential Advisor, Magzoub Al-Khalifa, along with representatives from the UN and the African Union mission.
Some analysts speaking to Sudan Tribune have suggested that the Khartoum is resorting to divide and conquer tactics within the rebel groups to weaken their positions on the political and military front. However they played down the impact of this agreement on the situation on the ground.
The international community has been adamant about the need to unite the rebel groups for any future peace negotiations with the Sudanese government. The government of Southern Sudan led by the first vice president Silva Kiir has proposed a meeting in Juba for the rebel groups to look into consolidating their political positions.
At least 200,000 people have died in the western region and more than two million more fled their homes since ethnic minority rebels rose up three years ago drawing a scorched earth response from the military and allied militias.
(ST)