Sudan, SRF strike deal on stakeholders representation in Darfur track
December 23, 2019 (JUBA) – The Sudanese government and armed groups involved in Darfur peace track from the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) Monday signed an agreement on the participation of internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees and civil society in peace talks.
The deal intervenes as several groups from the Darfur region call for their participation in the peace talks claiming to represent the displaced and refugees, underscoring that the armed groups negotiating in Juba do not represent.
The agreement, seen by Sudan Tribune, stated that it aims to involve the stakeholders in the negotiations and provide them with an opportunity to present their demands and aspirations. It also provides that their choice is based on inclusiveness, transparency and non-politicization.
Under the agreement, a joint field committee consisting of the government (8 members) and the SRF (16 members) will be tasked with overseeing the selection of representatives from “within the IDPs camps and settlements in Darfur.”
A consultative meeting on IDP issues will be held in El Fasher on 10 January 2020. Two hundred representatives will participate in the consultation conference half of them to be women.
The IDPs delegates taking part in the meeting will choose 25 women and 25 men to travel to Juba to present the demands agreed in the El Fasher meetings. Once in Juba, they will choose 4 women and 4 men as observers in the talks to advocate the IDPs issues.
Regarding the refugees, 20 refugees will be selected from Chad, Central Africa and Niger.
On the same vein, a conference will be held in El Fasher gathering 100 representatives of the traditional leaders of the Native Administration, 32 representatives of civil society groups, 28 representatives of the professionals and 40 representatives for the pastoralists and farmers.
This conference has to select 25 delegates of the Native Administration, 8 delegates of civil society, and 10 delegates for the farmers and pastoralists to participate in the Juba meetings.
SRF leader, Hadi Idriss, told Sudan Tribune that this agreement aims to ensure “genuine representation” of the displaced persons, refugees and other stakeholders affected by the armed conflict in Darfur to put forward their vision and demands.
“The IDPs and refugees will refuse the peace agreement if their representation was manipulated. So, we want them to come from within the camps and bring with them their real issues and claims,” al-Hadi told Sudan Tribune.
Also, he disclosed that the delegation of the SRF representatives in the joint preparatory committee will arrive in Khartoum on Tuesday, December 24, and then move to El Fasher to arrange the agreed meetings.
Al-Hadi praised the esprit of cooperation demonstrated by UNAMID adding they will cover all the fees the operation including the conferences and the transfer of stakeholder representatives.
“This is real support for the peace process in Darfur,” he said.
(ST)