Minnawi blasts Sudan’s new strategy for peace in Darfur
August 30, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Minni Minnawi voiced this week its opposition to the Sudanese government’s new strategy to end the seven year conflict in the western part of the country. The signatory of Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) said the new plan breaches the 2006 peace deal and ignores its dispositions.
Minnawi in his memorandum, seen by Sudan Tribune, blamed the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) for not associating his movement in the articulation of the new strategy. He also stressed that the plan omitted the Transitional Regional Authority (TRA) established in accordance of the DPA that he signed with Khartoum more than three years ago.
“The Transitional Regional Authority for Darfur, established under the Darfur Peace Agreement is the executive mechanism responsible for the implementation of security and stability in the Darfur region. It is responsible for addressing the situation of refugees and displaced persons and their voluntarily repatriation to their areas of origin.”
Minnawi also criticized the new strategy for ignoring the government’s responsibility in the Darfur conflict underlining that Khartoum presented the conflict as something “between the local components without making the Centre’s role as a basis in the conflict, war and peace,” he said.
The former rebel leader contested the presentation of the elected governors and institutions in Darfur after April elections as sole representatives of Darfur people.
The ruling NCP endorsed a new strategy last July aiming to promote the return of the IDPs to their homeland and to implement recovery and development projects in a bid to end the conflict.
On August 26, the head of African Union (AU) panel on Sudan, Thabo Mbeki, Joint Special Representative (JSR) of the AU-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Ibrahim Gambari, and US Special Envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration voiced their support to government’s strategy in Darfur after a meeting with Presidential Adviser, Ghazi Salah Al-Deen Al-Attabani.
Minnawi further disapproved the focus on IDPs only saying the conflict has been detrimental to all Darfuri people. He also stressed that a comprehensive peace in the region cannot be achieved without the participation of all the components Darfur’s society.
Speaking about the security measures included in the new plan, the head of the transitional authority said these unilateral arrangements breach all the security protocols signed between with the rebel groups including the ceasefire agreement of 2004.
“The implementation of the proposed new security strategy by stepping up security measures will push Darfuri parties to the conflict to adopt radical political and negotiating positions, up to claim the exercise of the right to self-determination for Darfur region,” he cautioned.
Due to a delay in the implementation of security arrangements in the DPA, the SLM-MM did not take part in April’s elections as political party. The group is supposed to integrate into the new government formed after the elections; but the non-disarmament of the former rebels seemingly hinders this step despite the extensive talks between the SLM-MM and NCP on this issue.
(ST)