Darfur rebel leader could join peace process – mediator
January 10, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — Darfur Peace chief mediator expressed hopes today that Abdel Wahid Al-Nur, the leader of main faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) would join the Doha process to settle the seven year conflict.
“He is not on his way to Doha but he won’t rule out” going there, said Bassole. “We will do everything we can, so Abdel Wahid, who is a powerful symbol of liberation, can play a useful role,” he added.
The mediator, who is in regular contacts with the rebel leader, told reporters that he discussed the peace process with French minister and the expected participation of the Paris based rebel leader in the talks.
Al-Nur says he wants security improvement on the ground in order to allow civilians to return home before to conclude a peace deal with the government.
The mediation will hold a meeting between the rebel leaders and civil society representatives on January 18 before the direct talks with the government on January 24.
“Doha will be the venue of the negotiations and the end of the Darfur crisis,” Bassole said.
“Around the negotiating table, at the Doha negotiations, we can make the warring parties commit to a true truce and agree on the modalities of an end to the war,” the AU-UN further stressed.
The SLM and Justice and Equality Movement refused to sign a peace agreement with Khartoum government in May 2006 demanding to consider Darfur as one region and to pay individual compensations for the population affected by the conflict.
Sudan repeatedly blamed France for not putting pressure on the rebel leader in order to persuade him to join the negotiating table , but Paris says it failed to convince him to change his mind.
Paris is one of the first supporters of the Doha peace process and the African Union –UN mediator who is in good relations with the Sudanese government and the rebel groups.
The main rebel groups in the past had rejected to collaborate with the former mediation team.
(ST)