Two rebel groups meet in Germany to prepare Darfur peace talks
October 13, 2007 (FLENSBURG, Germany) – Two non signatory rebel groups met here to discuss preparation for the forthcoming peace talks set to begin in Sirte, Libya within two week in a bid to end the four year conflict in Darfur.
Only a SLM faction led by Minni Minawi signed the Darfur Peace Agreement with the Sudanese government in May 2006. However the peace deal has seen little implementation as violence has spiralled.
In preparation for the upcoming talks, the JEM and SLM-Abdelshafi started to develop their own proposals on how to have fair, inclusive and comprehensive agreement that can address the root causes of the conflict in Darfur and to end the suffering of the population permanently.
Topics discussed included the question of the establishment of a regional identity for the three federal constituent states of Darfur, the problem of the political representation of Darfur in the central government institutions, wealth-sharing, human rights and democratization.
The delegates from both movements were supported in this venture by a team of senior legal and policy advisors drawn from leading universities and expert institutions, including the University of Cambridge, which has maintained a long-standing programme of support for the settlement of self-determination conflicts around the world.
The event was held at the headquarters of European Centre for Minority Issues in Flensburg, Germany, an international expert organization addressing ethno-political conflicts in Europe and elsewhere.
At the conclusion of the Flensburg meeting, Senior spokesperson for the JEM, Ahmed Hussein Adam, stated: ‘We are ready to work with the international community on finally bringing a peace settlement to the desperate people of the Darfur region. We call on governments to increase the pressure on the government of Sudan that will be necessary in order to come to balanced settlement that respects the unity of the country, while addressing the grievances of the Darfurian population.’
Gaffar Monro, spokesperson for the SLM/A added ‘The time has come to insist on a termination of violence and oppression in Darfur. At this initial meeting, both movements have shown their capacity and willingness to work constructively towards a settlements. In the very near future, the SLM/A expects to consolidate its position on all relevant issues among all groups associated with it, in order to enable both movements to exhibit a unified front in the talks.’
More than 200,000 people have been killed and another 2.2 million forced to flee their homes across Darfur, an arid and impoverished region, because of fighting that has raged since 2003. Some 4 million Darfurians now depend on humanitarian aid.
DEMAND FOR PREPARATORY MEETING
Both movements joined in calling for the arrangement of a further preparatory meeting involving the two movements and representatives of other Darfur stakeholder groups in order to refine a unified position.
This meeting, they indicated, must be held in a confidential way, not under the spotlight of the international mediators or the Sudan government, with full access by the groups to their own advisors and experts.
The two rebel groups also called on the mediators, Jan Eliasson from the United Nations, and Salim Ahmed Salim of the African Union, to adopt a more balanced approach in the upcoming talks, paying equal regard to the concerns of the representatives of the people of Darfur.
(ST)