Germany, U.S. making efforts to convince Darfur groups to join DDPD: official
July 28, 2018 (KHARTOUM) -Chairman of Darfur peace follow-up office Magdi Khalaf Allah said consultations are underway with some friendly nations to convince holdout groups to sign the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) as soon as possible.
“The German government in coordination with the U.S. States Department and hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) chief Jeremiah Mamabolo seek to convince the armed movements to join the peace process in Darfur,” he said
He said the holdout groups demanded to designate implementation mechanisms different from what is provided in the DDPD, stressing the document would remain the only means to implement any future agreement with the rebels.
Khalaf Allah added the international community and the mediators support the DDPD, saying the rebels have no actual military presence in Darfur’s five states.
He pointed out that the Sudan Liberation Movement (ALM-AW) led by Abdel-Wahid al-Nour hasn’t signed the Roadmap Agreement and therefore no efforts have been exerted to convince them to join the DDPD.
Delegations from the Sudanese government, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement – Minni Minnawi on the other side held a two-day meeting in Berlin on 16-17 April to discuss a declaration of principle ahead of the resumption of peace talks to end the western Sudan region conflict.
But the meeting wrapped up without a deal despite the high expectations as the mediation and facilitators worked hard to prepare a compromise breaking the stalemate over the DDPD framework agreement signed on 14 July 2011 between the government and several armed groups.
The rebel groups say the parties failed to strike a pre-negotiation agreement after Khartoum refusal to designate implementation mechanisms different from what is provided in the DDPD.
The holdout groups including the JEM and SLM-MM refused to sign the DDPD in July 2011 and called to open the framework agreement for talks.
Other groups like the SLM-AW have declined to join the process and rejected its outcome.
The African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki proposed a holistic process to end the armed conflicts and produce political reforms in Sudan.
During the year 2015-2016, talks between the government and the SLM-MM and JEM failed to reach a tangible result despite international efforts to bring together the opposition groups and to narrow the gaps between them and the government.
The Sudanese army has been fighting a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003. UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in the conflict and over 2.5 million were displaced.
(ST)