Senegal mediates between Chad and Sudan
March 3, 2008 (DAKAR) — Senegal said would carry out a mediation between Sudan and Chad to defuse tension and to amend relations between the two countries during the Islamic conference next week.
Senegal will host the 11th Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Summit in Dakar on March 8-14. Sudanese Omer al-Bashir and Chadian Idriss Déby are among the 57 Islamic delegations to attend the meeting.
Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade said in statements published on Sunday by the local press that he managed to organise a meeting between presidents al-Bashir and Déby on March 12 on the eve of the Islamic summit in order to settle peace between the two African countries.
Wade further indicated that his Gabonese counterpart, Omar Bongo, and the former Chairman of the African Union Commission, Alpha Oumar Konare will take part in the meeting.
He also said that the UN secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon could take part in the meeting.
“The UN secretary-general reviewing his agenda to be able to take part in this ‘mini-summit’, said President Abdoulaye Wade adding “We hope that this summit will bring definitive peace in that part of Africa which, unfortunately, is very deeply affected for years”.
“Miracles, one must believe. God can bring peace to this region at the Dakar summit” he said.
Chad and Sudan, both of whose heads of state are expected to be in Senegal for a summit of the world’s Muslim leaders, repeatedly trade accusations one is hosting the other’s rebels. Analysts say each country supports rebels hostile to the other.
Wade says that Deby asked him to intervene.
Senegalese president returned over the weekend from a trip to Libya and Egypt, where he said he brought up the Chad-Sudan crisis with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, both of whom said they encouraged him to hold the planned mediation session.
Sudan and Chad had already signed two peace agreement one mediated by Libya Tripoli Agreement in February 2006 and the other brokered by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in May 2007.
Sudan says Chad didn’t implement Tripoli agreement signed in February 2006 and asks Chad to provide troops for the agreed joint patrols to monitor the border.
(ST)