Sudan government, main rebels sign Darfur peace agreement
Sudan, Politics, 5/6/2006

The Sudan government has signed a peace agreement with the main Darfur rebel group.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit has welcomed the agreement reached by the Sudanese government and Sudan Liberation Movement in Darfur on the draft peace agreement which is sponsored by the African mediation.

Abul-Gheit said that Egypt appreciates the efforts played by the African Union for narrowing gaps between views of the parties as well as endeavors by international partners and mediators for convincing parties to okay the draft peace agreement which aims at putting an end to violence in Darfur and restoring security and stability in the province.

Sudan's Ambassador to US, Ahmed, told C-Span that the agreement entails the following elements:

Rebels would be integrated into government forces.

All other armed factions, including Janjaweed militias, said to be pro-government, are to be disarmed.

Darfur citizens to have parliament representation.

A committee would be established to resettle the displaced citizens and pay them compensations.

The US praised the Darfur Peace Agreement, signed in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 5 between the government of Sudan and the principal rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), as a vital step in ending the suffering of the people of Darfur and providing an opportunity for national peace and reconciliation.

The accord provides for detailed, verifiable steps to disarm and neutralize the Janjaweed and other armed militia groups, and opens the way for economic recovery and integration of the former combatants and people of Darfur into the political process.

Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick, the chief US negotiator in the peace talks, said that the peace accord is an opportunity for an end to violence and a new political future for Darfur, but acknowledged the dangers and threat remain.

"Does Darfur remain a dangerous place, yes, it does," Zoellick said in a press conference from Abuja on May 5, where he engaged in virtually non-stop negotiations with African and Sudanese representative in recent days. "Can one assure that there's not going to be any violence? No, one can't" he said. "But you now have at least the commitment of the major rebel movement and the government not to be conducting violent operations."

The Darfur accord calls upon the Sudanese government to prepare a detailed plan for the neutralization and disarmament of the Janjaweed and other militia groups with 37 days of the agreement's signing, according to Zoellick. The disarmament would be verified by the African Union. There are also provisions for buffer zones around the refugee camps, and "humanitarian corridors" that neither Sudanese nor rebel forces can enter, he said.

"The Janjaweed and other armed militia be disarmed before the rebel forces assemble and prepare for their own disarmament and integration," Zoellick said. He also pointed to recommendations in the agreement calling for 4,000 "former combatants" to be integrated into the national army, 1,000 in the police, and 3,000 into training programs to assist with civilian reconstruction.

He said "On the wealth sharing, this was already in the prior agreement that there was a commitment by the government to contribute $300 million initially and $200 million a year for two additional years. And the text has also called for a joint assessment mission. This is the type of mission that was used in the North-South accord led by the World Bank to determine the specific reconstruction and development needs of Darfur, and then this connects to the commitment we made as part of this package about the international community holding a donors conference."

On the political front, Zoellick said that the Darfur agreement complements and strengthens the earlier North-South Comprehensive Peace Accord in Sudan. He noted, for example, that the Darfur agreement calls for naming a representative of the rebel movement as a senior assistant to the president -- the fourth-highest position in the Sudanese government. The same person would also serve as "chairperson" of a transitional Darfur regional authority, Zoellick added.

Zoellick cited provisions in the agreement for state and local elections no later July 2009, a commitment by the central government for economic assistance in Darfur, and a promise by the international community to hold a donors conference in the future.

Zoellick acknowledged that not all the rebel leaders signed the Darfur agreement. He said "What also was interesting, which you may not have heard yet, was that as we did the signing arrangement we had some 15 members of the other major SLM leader, Abdelwahid, his group come in and present a letter to the African Union -- it was led by Abdelwahid's chief negotiator and they said that they wanted to express their appreciation for the AU mediation team's effort and they felt that their leadership was not conducive to peace and therefore all the signatures on this petition urged the AU mediation to associate them to the final arrangements for peace in Darfur and note their desire for peace. And they say that they will be able to have many more associated with that process but they just did that in the afternoon."

"That's a very useful sign because it suggests that one of the ironies of this process may be that the SLM (Sudan Liberation Movement), which was divided in two factions, may be coming back together in this process, although Abdelwahid remains outside the process.

"Another device is that the African Union is, I think, very wisely going to follow up on this agreement promptly. They're setting a meeting up of the African Union Peace and Security Council on May 15th and one of their purposes is to welcome the agreement but to encourage all Darfur movements to participate and they will use that May 15th date to urge them. And they will also determine the treatment of those who resist the peace agreement.

"In addition, as we were going through these coordinated events, I talked with a number of the AU leaders and I was very pleased; they told me that they also wanted to move promptly to encourage the UN peacekeeping force in Darfur and to help build on the AMIS force providing security. So I hope we'll be able to move on that both in the UN and with the AU Peace and Security Council.

He noted that the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), one of the two rebel groups opposed to the agreement, "is a group that is driven by some Islamic ideology and frankly I didn't have a feeling that they, you know, were committed to a process of peace... Now that leaves the question of what are those guys about. This is a little anecdotal, Joel, so I don't -- I can't rely on it, but I will say that a number of the Africans and others that I talked to said that a good 70 to 80 percent of the JEM leadership operates out of London or Paris and, frankly, it was pretty disturbing for them to be dismissive of a need for peace when they're not putting themselves at risk."

Zoelick said "Now, a reasonable question is, well, you've got the Government of Sudan, you've got Mini Minnawi and you've got some of the other Abdelwahid, but what about the others? And I just want to remind all of you that they're all supposed to be subject to a ceasefire now but one of the pressure points, obviously, will be on all parties to call to end the violence as part of this agreement, so it's time to turn from guns and bullets to making decisions through political debates and the ballot box under the Comprehensive Peace Accord."

Throughout the negotiations, negotiators tried to keep their focus on the people of Darfur, Zoellick said. He added "They're the ones that have really suffered and they're the ones who are crying out for peace and they deserve a fair shot at not only returning to their homes, but political participation in the Sudan that is struggling to overcome its past by achieving peace, both North and South and East and West."

Previous Stories:
  Sudan Darfur peace talks fail deadline   (5/5/2006)
  Sudanese rebels urged to sign Darfur peace   (5/3/2006)
  On security in Chad Sudanese refugee camps   (5/2/2006)

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