JEM rebels have reservation on civil society participation in peace talks
November 16, 2009 (PARIS) – The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said has reservation on the participation of many civil society organizations in the Doha peace talks saying they are dominated by followers of the ruling party in Khartoum.
Civil society groups arrived in the Qatari capital where they are expected to start a consultative meeting on Tuesday. The UN organizations particularly the hybrid mission in Darfur (UNAMID) supervised the selection of civil society representatives amid the boycott of internally displaced people who are hostile to the process at the current stage.
“Despite our support to the civil society participation in the peace process, we are strongly opposed to the presence of most of these groups that arrived here in Doha because most of them are composed of members of the National Congress Party,” said JEM spokesperson Ahmed Hussein Adam.
Speaking from Doha, Ahmed said the mediation and the UNAMID selected these groups without any consultation with them. He further said that Darfur IDPs and refugees are not represented among these groups.
JEM, despite the boycott of the peace talks, dispatched last week a delegation to the Qatari capital to hold talks with the mediation on the strategy of the Doha process. The rebel group considers the road map and the group involved in the process should be determined with them and not only with Khartoum government.
The rebel official also said there is confusion over the role of local civil society groups saying some think they should take part in the peace talks.
“The role of civil society groups is purely consultative and in any case they are not a substitute to the conflicting parties,” JEM official spokesperson said.
He further urged the mediation to take in consideration the absent majority of Darfur civil society and to work for its inclusion in the process.
On Wednesday, the mediation is expected to open another session of talks attended by the government and rebel delegations.
(ST)
silake comba
JEM rebels have reservation on civil society participation in peace talks
Darfur armed group unite!. This will be the only means to put an end thie suffering of the people you cailm you are fighting for the interests, if you are sincere at all. In the past, at the begining of the peace talks no people from parties other than the waring ones dared to demand for participation in the process,because all at that time were represented either by the movements or the government. Now that evry body is doing for his own group.This made people think that no body is taking care for their interests.Those people seclected by UNAMID to participate in the peace process in Dohas are not coming from NCP ranks only. They are coming from all ranks, including people who are still or were followers of JEM sometime ago. it is an endless chaos and can not end without unification of the armed groups by first giving priority to the public interests.People should stop making business on the lives and bloods of the darfurian people.Enough cheating.Declare yourself couragouesly to the people whether you get their support or not. There is no genuine movement in Darfur: all have their roots in the Sudanese political parties, including NCP, PCP, UMMA, Sudanese Communist party, SPLM and others. Most of the Darfurian Movement leaderships belong to these parties in a way or another.These people are still loyal to their original parties and working for them. That is why Minni’s group failled to don any thing meaningful to the people of Darfur who highly sacrificed for the cause.Be honest you groups in darfur, go back to your master parties.Enough living on the blood of Darurian childern and the honor of their mothers and sisters and at espense of their dignity. I call upon all darfurians who are honest, jealous, sincere and faithful to take the role and salvage their bloved people and land and free them from these mercenaries, blood merchants.