Sudanese army seek to decrease tension with former Darfur rebels
December 7, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese army reiterated Friday that its troops ambushed armed men ready to launch rockets on Al-Fasher, stressing this incident does not affect its commitment to the peace agreement.
The leader of the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), Al-Tijani Al-Sissi, threatened on Thursday that his group might walk out of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) after an attack by the Sudanese army on his fighters outside the capital of North Darfur on Wednesday. The army said the ambush was on the rebels.
The attack showed the lack of coordination between the two peace partners, but also reminded them that the non-implementation of security arrangements can cause big troubles. The army refuse to admit a big number of people that LJM demands to include in the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration process.
Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) spokesperson Khaled Al-Shwarmi, released a statement on Friday aiming to de-escalate the new crisis between the government and the former rebel group .
He asserted that the incident can be addressed through the spirit of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), the security arrangements, the cease-fire commission and mutual trust between the parties to the Agreement.
“We confirm that this incident will not affect the Doha agreement and will not destabilize our purposes and goals to achieve peace in Darfur,” he stressed.
Al-Shwarmi reiterated that the armed group SAF ambushed two days ago was outside the sites agreed for LJM troops.
He affirmed that the rocket launcher seized by SAF troops was armed and ready to fire.
He further pointed out that LJM has to inform them of its movements before to travel from an area to another.
North Darfur State witnessed since May 2012 an increase of clashes between the government forces and the holdout rebel groups.
The government prepares to engage talks with a splinter faction of the Justice and Equality Movement during the upcoming days, before to hold a donors conference in January.
LJM blames the Sudanese government for delaying the release of funds necessary to implement the agreement and prepare the return of displaced persons and refugees.
(ST)