Sudan witnessing end of Darfur conflict – NCP official
September 10, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan is witnessing the end of the six-year bloody conflict in Darfur where the government is acting to resettle the displaced population, said a leading member of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).
Darfur peace mediator Djibril Bassole plans to hold a new round of talks in the Qatari capital Doha at the end of the next month of October. The expected negotiations come after successful attempt by the Libyan officials and US envoy to gather different factions in two groups.
The mediator also announced he would hold a workshop for all the rebel groups to discuss their demands and settle their differences. This step means mainly to bring the rebels to have common vision before the talks, because there is no horizon to unify them under one umbrella.
Dr. Mahdi Qotbi, the head of NCP political sector said on Thursday that war in Darfur now came to an end and there is no fighting between the government army and the rebels as it is stated by the peacekeeping mission (UNAMID).
Speaking in a press conference held at the premises of the northern Sudan ruling party in Khartoum, he further said that the rebel groups lost their credibility after their divisions into 30 factions fighting each other. He also said some others turned into bandit groups carjacking humanitarian vehicles or attacking relief convoy.
Mahdi also said all the humanitarian and security effects of the conflict started to disappear adding the current stage would focus to clear the camps of displaced population and resettle them into their homeland.
He also accused the rebel leader Abdel Wahid Al-Nur of giving false promises to the displaced populations about the individual compensations adding the IDPs are now understood its inaccuracy.
He also stressed that the most important is the dialogue with Darfur people and civil society there. However he expressed the willingness of the government to negotiate with the rebel groups in Doha.
“But the main dialogue after that will be with real stakeholders who are Darfur civil society,” he added.
(ST)