UNAMID chief meets with Darfur JEM in Doha
February 9, 2010 (WASHINGTON) –The newly appointed Joint Special Representative (JSR) for the African Union-United Nations mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Ibrahim Gambari held talks with the Justice and Movement (JEM) delegation currently in Doha.
JEM spokesperson Ahmed Hussein speaking to Sudan Tribune by phone from Qatar described the talks as “transparent” and constructive with Gambari.
“We agreed on a fresh start from the previous UNAMID leadership. JEM clearly outlined its reservations on the shortfalls of UNAMID and our views on how this can be rectified in the coming period,” Hussein said.
“The peacekeeping force has a mandate to make the lives of Darfuris better and improve their security and humanitarian situation. We want to see that realized on the ground” he added,
Rudolph Adada, Gambari’s predecessor came under fire from Darfur rebels and advocacy group after he declared that the conflict in Sudan’s western region is over. Adada’s term was cut short by Western members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) who accused him of inefficiency in running the mission.
The UNAMID head is in Qatar to provide his support to the ongoing peace process between Khartoum and the Darfur rebels. The official negotiations have not started yet pending an agreement on uniting the rebels together.
Hussein said that they reiterated their position on “integrated unity” with other groups under the principle of “no winner, no loser”.
The JEM official accused the government side of “being more interested in a cessation of hostilities agreement rather than a comprehensive peace deal”.
“Their [government] strategy is eyeing the elections as a timeframe for concluding the talks here. We do not recognize the elections as they are rigged by the NCP [National Congress Party]. We never recognized the census results in the first place” he said.
“This [elections] is simply meaningless and will not create any change. We told Gambari that Sudan’s problems are too deep and complex than to be resolved through elections in the manner and environment that it is taking place in” he added.
Asked about the recent thaw in Chad-Sudan relations, Hussein said that JEM welcomes any improvement in that regard saying it will benefit the people of Darfur.
“The NCP is mistaken if they think that this will weaken JEM. We have no presence whatsoever on Chadian soil. It is them who are giving support to Chadian rebels who creating havoc to the Darfur people” he said.
Hussein added that Debby’s call for Darfur groups to work for peace is consistent with JEM’s long term objective.
“Peace has always been our ultimate goal. We hope to achieve that once the regime in Khartoum shares the same genuine interest” he said.
The Chadian President addressed a call to the Sudanese rebels to lay down their arms and to stop hostilities in order to reach a comprehensive solution for Darfur conflict.
Both Chad and Sudan have traded accusations in the past over supporting opposition groups.
(ST)