Former rebels blame Sudan for refusing to give them chairmanship of Darfur fund
March 18, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The former rebel Justice and Equality Movement – Sudan led by Bakheit Abdallah Abdel-Karim (Dabajo) said that the Sudanese government refused to give them the chairmanship of Darfur Reconstruction and Development Fund (DRDF).
Dabajo met on Tuesday with the head of Darfur peace follow-up office state minister, Amin Hassan Omer to discuss matters related to the implementation of a peace agreement signed on 6 April 2014 between the two parties.
The meeting discussed the implementation of the power sharing protocol particularly the participation of the group in the central government, Darfur regional Authority (DRA), Darfur state governments.
The parties also discussed the security arrangements and the release of JEM members still in jail.
The Sudanese state minister refused a demand by the movement to chair the DRDF, “sparking a widespread indignation among the leadership,” said the group’s spokesperson Sadiq Youssif Zakaria in statement to Sudan Tribune after the meeting.
Zakaria further said they demanded to participate in the governments of three states including North, South and West Darfur. He added that the government pledged to free the first batch of prisoners within a week.
During the peace process , the then rebel group said they want guaranties to ensure that Khartoum would fully implement the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).
The peace agreement between the group and the government provides to review the development plans and projects included in the DDPD annexes and to include additional projects .
The two parties also agreed to establish two new bodies for the pastoral nomads and social care under the DRA authority .
A rebel official, at the time, said they agreed that their group would chair at least one of the two new commissions.
The former rebel faction had already suspended talks over the implementation of the peace deal, blaming the head of Darfur peace office of refusing to release some members of the group detained since May 2008 after their participation in the attack on Khartoum.
On 25 January president Omer Al-Bashir met with Dabajo and issued a decree three days later, appointing him adviser at the Supreme Council of Decentralized Governance.
The former rebel faction called JEM-Sudan or Bashar splinted from the main stream group in September 2012 and engaged in peace talks with Khartoum in January 2013 on the basis of the DDPD.
(ST)