Sissi’s group to participate in Sudan elections

January 23, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The leader of Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), Tijani al-Sissi, said on Friday his group is resolved to participate in general elections scheduled for April.

Speaking from Zalingei Central Darfur state al-Sissi said his movement has filed lists of its candidates with the National Election Commission (NEC), saying they will run for all the regional and national constituencies, except the presidency of the republic.

Sissi group said they have reached a political partnership agreement with the ruling National Congress Party, according to this deal the latter will not compete against them in certain electoral constituencies.

LJM leaders recently traded accusation and over the implementation of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) and announced the registration of the group as political party under two names: Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) led by Bahar Idriss Abu Garda and National Liberation and Justice Movement (NLJM) led by Tijani al-Sissi.

During a visit to Zalingei camp for internally displaced people on Thursday, al-Sissi told its residents that the split of the group would not affect the DDPD implementation, calling them to start the different formalities in order to resettle them.

The Darfur Regional Authority held a workshop on Thursday to brief representatives for IDPs, traditional leaders and civil society groups on the compensation and restitution for property lost to those affected by the conflict.

On a related development, first vice-president Bakri Hassan Saleh met with head of Darfur peace office Amin Hassan Omer to discuss the implementation of the security arrangements with the former rebel groups that signed the DDPD.

Omer said the combatants of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM-Dabajo) entered the training phase, adding that LJM fighters will begin on Thursday or Friday in different camps in El-Geneina and Zalingei.

(ST)