Last minute discord over elections cause two-hour delay in Darfur pact ceremony
February 23, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – Mediators, diplomats and other officials looked both bored and bewildered at the conventional hall in Doha as they waited for the signature ceremony to commence with no explanation for why it was running well behind schedule.
The Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir, Chadian President Idriss Deby, Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) leader Khalil Ibrahim emerged more than two hours later to sign the accord.
Prior to that the other Darfur rebel groups who have earlier slammed the deal as bilateral and denounced the mediation for “misleading” them joined the attendees to the surprise of many leading to speculations that JEM may have objected to their presence.
Agence France Presse (AFP) reported that the delay happened after JEM asked the government delegation to agree to postpone general elections set for April, but no deal was reached on that point.
JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussein said “there is a consensus among the people of Darfur and Sudan that the election must be postponed”.
A senior JEM official told Sudan Tribune over the weekend that it is all but certain that Khartoum would agree to reschedule the elections. Another source in Doha said that JEM will seek a five years delay during the formal negotiations with Khartoum to prepare the country for the polls.
However, it remains to be seen whether the National Elections Committee (NEC) or the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) would agree to postpone the elections.
This week, the former Prime Minister Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi told reporters after meeting with SPLM Chairman and South Sudan president Salva Kiir that it is preferable to push elections in order to give time for peace to be realized in Darfur.
The NEC deputy chief stressed during a meeting with Gration last week that the Doha accord will not change the elections timetable.
(ST)
Aduol Liet
Last minute discord over elections cause two-hour delay in Darfur pact ceremony
Message to Darfuri JEM Rebel leader.
Please don’t rush in and then, asking postponement on both Sudan’s general election and Southern Sudan referendum year. It is too late and too little to ask people to postponing this general election and Southern Sudan referendum. We have been experience the bad atitudes of ruler government led by criminal indictment Omar al Bashir and these six years are enough for us, we Southern Sudanese people and we can not push anything a head nor wait another years than 2011. Did you get everything from the Khartoum government now.? Supposedly you should have signed this peace agreement three years ago if you knew the Khartoum government will not going to neglecting you guys any more. It is very easy to suggesting that, if you were not sure then, you should not bothering yourself to sign the peace agreement esparately and left other Rebels fighting with the government instead making unity first than anything but now Omar al Bashir is looking for your vote only and years later the Khartoum government will disarming you just one by one mark my word please if you don’t belief it. The reality is if the people want to finalized then, this year and the next year are they only to change dynamic of Sudan government. I can tell that, the agreement which was been atten by so many dictatorships leaders in Africa have no proof to trust the Khartoum government and killer Omar al Bashir.
Gatluak Latjor
Last minute discord over elections cause two-hour delay in Darfur pact ceremony
No postponement. The delay of the signing of peace in Darfur was not the responsibility of South Sudan and the SPLM. The south was very clear that it wanted an urgent peace in Darfur. However, if the norhtern sudanese are that slow they should not infect the south with that. Democracy should take its place in April.
Akuma
Last minute discord over elections cause two-hour delay in Darfur pact ceremony
Dear Sudanese leaders
Comprehensive Peace Agreement was been violate by our SPLM and NCP leaders who the agreement. If we ask for postponment now as some leaders like Al Mahdi seeking. Who is going to suffer. Look, according to CPA protocols, election will be done with in three years and it has late, southern sudanese leaders are just chewing money and they don’t know where sudan is heading to. Please! watch out, and think enough over election ponement becausse bashir is an Arab and no one will remove from presidential seat even though the world is barking like dog over him for international criminal court indictment, he will not rush to election because his victory will be probability.
Dr. Akuma, chicago USA