Joint AU-UN Road-map for Darfur Political Process

June 27, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Below the text of the joint AU-UN road map for Darfur peace process.

Joint AU-UN Road-map for Darfur Political Process

8 June 2007 — On the basis of the Addis Ababa conclusions of 16 November 2007, AU and UN Special Envoys, Salim Ahmed Salim and Jan Eliasson, have been working closely together and consulted with the parties and a wide range of stakeholders on how to end the Darfur conflict.

The Tripoli Consensus on the political process for Darfur adopted on 29 April 2007 underlined the urgency of finding a comprehensive and sustainable solution to the crisis. Recognizing the value of regional initiatives, the meeting agreed on the need for coordination and convergence of all initiatives under the AU-UN lead.

There is consensus that priority must be given to an all-inclusive political process, under AU and UN leadership. Progress on the political track must be accompanied by an end to widespread violence and insecurity, a strengthened ceasefire supported by an effective peacekeeping force, as well as an improvement in the humanitarian situation and serious prospects for socio-economic recovery in Darfur.

This roadmap for the political process consists of three phases: Convergence of Initiatives and Consultations; Pre-Negotiations; and Negotiations.

As a point of departure for the implementation of the road-map, the AU and UN expect all parties to declare their serious commitment to:

– achieve a political solution to the Darfur crisis;

– create a security environment in Darfur conducive to negotiations;

– participate in and commit to the outcome of the negotiation effort;

– cease all hostilities immediately.

It is expected that the AU Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council hold all parties accountable to these commitments, with the understanding that obstruction to the peace process will have consequences.

The AU and UN will consult closely with regional actors to ensure exchange of information, coordination and collaboration. The Special Envoys will also utilize the Tripoli format, to ensure maximum coherence and convergence of national, regional and international efforts. The international community’s support to the implementation of this road-map will be coordinated through the AU and UN.

The AU-UN Joint Mediation Support Team (JMST) will support the Special Envoys in the implementation of this roadmap and provide technical and professional back-stopping to the process. The team is being strengthened and JMST staff is being deployed in Khartoum and Darfur to ensure access to all parties to the conflict and be able to undertake extensive contacts with the non-signatories, regional actors and other stakeholders. Mediation and thematic experts on key issues and on logistics will be recruited to support the ongoing efforts.

The JMST will design and implement an effective communication strategy utilizing local, regional and international media and stakeholders to broaden information-sharing on the political process and to build a constituency of support for its outcome.

I. Convergence of Initiatives and Consultations Phase (May-June 2007)

The AU and UN will work with all national, regional and international actors to ensure that all initiatives currently underway converge and are integrated within the broader AU-UN framework by the end of June. Simultaneously, the AU and UN will continue extensive consultations on the political process and parties’ positions with all stakeholders inside and outside Sudan. To this end, the AU and UN will:

i. Support ongoing efforts and coordinate closely with the regional initiative of Chad, Eritrea and Libya which intends to assist the non-signatory movements with the development of an organizational framework and facilitate their preparation on a common platform for renewed talks. This initiative will also serve to prepare the movements for the SPLM conference.

ii. Support and facilitate the work of the SPLM Task Force on Darfur to organize a conference of non-signatory movements. The conference is intended as a mechanism to bring together non-signatory movements, in an effort to foster cohesion among movements in preparation for negotiations.

iii. Work closely together with non-government organizations which have expertise and capacity to contribute to the political process.

iv. Intensify consultations with civil society, tribal leaders and representatives of IDPs, refugees and women’s groups inter alia through the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation preparatory framework. This process will also aim at identifying the concerns and positions of these groups in order to ensure that their views are being taken into account in the pre-negotiation/negotiation phases and to consolidate support for the peace process.

v. Continue to engage with DPA signatories to ensure that their concerns and interests are included in the renewed political process.

vi. Develop a Negotiation Strategy, incorporating lessons learned from the Abuja talks. This strategy will take into consideration the parties’ positions and devise a methodology to include also concerns/views of those who were not represented in the Abuja negotiations.

vii. Continue to actively support the implementation of previous agreements aiming at improving Chad-Sudan relations.

II. Pre-Negotiation Phase (June – July 2007)

All parties are expected to demonstrate a serious commitment to the political process through accelerating preparations for negotiations in good faith. For this, the parties are to:

i. Uphold the ceasefire, including refraining from military build-up or posturing of forces, stopping aerial bombardments, containing the Janjaweed and tribal conflicts through an effective ceasefire mechanism throughout Darfur.

ii. Facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and demonstrate respect for human rights and humanitarian principles. In this regard, all parties are expected to implement the commitments of the Humanitarian Joint Communiqué on the facilitation of Humanitarian Assistance in Darfur of 28 March.

Simultaneously, the AU-UN will continue and finalize consultations with the Government of Sudan, signatories and non-signatories, civil society, tribal leaders and representatives of IDPs, refugees and women’s groups. This process will further refine the Negotiation Strategy including the development of a mechanism to channel views and positions into the final talks. The following actions will be pursued:

i. Enhance cohesion among the parties and broaden the base of support for a political solution to the crisis;

ii. Determine the basic parameters of parties’ positions vis-à-vis existing agreements, and ascertain the parties’ core grievances and positions on key issues, including power-sharing, wealth-sharing and security arrangements.

iii. Intensify engagement between the signatories, non-signatories and the Government of Sudan on the substance of the renewed talks, with the aim of narrowing gaps on divergent positions.

iv. Re-activate the Core Coordination Group to prepare options for including a development perspective into renewed negotiations as an essential complement to the all-inclusive peace process. Current and future assessments and plans will eventually lead to an International Donors Conference.

v. Finalize work on the timeline, format, agenda, content and venue for bringing the parties into direct negotiations. In this regard, the AU and UN will also determine criteria for inviting participants and observers.

vi. Engage key regional actors to reinforce the complementarity of efforts, collaborate and ensure all support to the political process in Darfur is coordinated within the broader AU-UN framework.

III. Negotiation Phase (August 2007)

The implementation of Phase II this road-map should have contributed to narrowing the gaps between the respective positions and determined the parameters of an all-inclusive agreement with broad ownership among all stakeholders. The Special Envoys thus envisage invitations to a brief and intensive negotiation session.

The political process and any ensuing agreement will be supported by the envisaged AU-UN hybrid peacekeeping operation which will be mandated to verify compliance and the implementation of all agreed commitments, as well as to and contribute to the restoration of security and protection of the population of Darfur.