SPLM meets Chad’s Deby and travels to JEM chairman
By Daniel Van Oudenaren
October 29, 2008 (WASHINGTON) – Senior party leaders of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) met this week in the Chadian capital with President Idriss Déby to discuss the resolution of the Darfur crisis resolution and improve bilateral ties. They will meet Thursday with Khalil Ibrahim, the leader of a Darfur rebel movement.
The SPLM delegation, headed by Secretary General Pagan Amum, traveled to N’Djamena on Sunday to take part in a “party-to-party initiative” with the ruling party of Chad. The deputy leader of Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party, Nafi Ali Nafi, agreed that SPLM could play a role in normalizing relations between Sudan and Chad and helping resolve the Darfur conflict.
The party leaders will travel to eastern Chad to meet with Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Chairman Khalil Ibrahim and visit refugee camps.
It will be the first time that Ibrahim meets with the SPLM leadership since before a rebel raid on Khartoum in May.
JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein confirmed that the meeting will take place.
Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, a member of the SPLM delegation, told Sudan Tribune, “we have met President Déby and other officials in Chad. The meeting went extremely well.” Gatkuoth is the head of the Government of Southern Sudan mission to the United States and a member of the SPLM National Liberation Council. “We are going to meet Khalil Ibrahim of JEM,” he added
They also met with Sharif Harir and Suleiman Jamous. Both are leading members of the Darfur rebel group SLM-Unity.
President Déby told the delegation he welcomes the efforts of the SPLM. He is confident that SPLM Chairman Salva Kiir can and must play a key role in the resolution of the Darfur issue and the normalization of Sudan-Chad relations.
Yasir Arman, the deputy secretary general of the SPLM, said the meeting with Khalil will address the current political situation and the need to expedite a peaceful and negotiated solution between the parties to the conflict.
Both Sudan and Chad have accused each other of supporting rebel armies and broke ties after the May assault on Khartoum by JEM. The two countries will re-exchange ambassadors from the Nov. 7-10.
(ST)