Sudan’s TMC, two armed groups agree to uphold ceasefire in Darfur
June 27, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – In a meeting facilitated by President Idris Deby on Thursday, the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and two armed groups agreed to uphold a ceasefire in Darfur and to put the realisation of an inclusive peace at the top agenda of the transitional period in Sudan.
In a statement released in Khartoum, the TMC announced that its Deputy Chairman Mohamed Hamdan Daglo “Hemetti”, Minni Minnawi Chairman of Sudan Liberation Movement and Tahir al-Faki Speaker of Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)’s legislative Council signed a cessation of hostilities agreement and reaffirmed their determination to achieve a comprehensive peace in Sudan.
According to the text of the agreement seen by Sudan Tribune, the parties stressed that their commitment to “create a conducive atmosphere for negotiations”. and to expedite “the process of negotiations as soon as possible”.
Further, JEM and SLM praised the TMC decision to release all the prisoners of war pointing that “this decision will pave the way for the success of the negotiations and will enhance confidence” between the parties.
For more than two years, the government and JEM and SLM declared a unilateral cessation of hostilities in Darfur. Also, the two groups which are part of a peace process brokered by the African Union mediator Thabo Mbeki signed framework agreement to resume talks on the basis of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur.
However, after the beginning of the nationwide protests against the al-Bashir’s regime, they declined to engage with the government and voiced their support for the popular uprising.
The ruling military council in Khartoum and the Chadian President Deby held recently a series of meetings on the need to secure the joint border and their border with troubled Libya.
Last February, the Libyan national army of General Haftar launched an attack on the Chadian rebels based in southern Libya pushing them to seek to re-establish their bases inside Chad near the border with Sudan.
Deby stressed the need to keep the Sudanese troops deployed along the Sudanese border to prevent their possible redeployment in Darfur.
The Sudanese parties agreed on the need to include the other armed groups in the peace process “in order to put an end to the suffering of the people, stop the war and achieve peace and stability in Sudan”.
JEM, SLM and SPLM-N Agar agreed with their allies of the Forces of Freedom and Change to hold an inclusive peace process to discuss the regional issues in all the war-affected areas but to discuss the national agenda at the transitional parliament.
However, the negotiations, which should take place during the first six months of the transitional period, should be conducted by the transitional government, not the military council.
Hemetti was recently appointed at the head of a TMC contact committee with the armed opposition groups.
(ST)