Sudan: Nigeria, Qatar seek fresh peace initiatives
Sudan-Regional, Politics, 1/6/2009

A fresh effort to find a lasting solution to the human carnage in the Sudanese region of Darfur is expected to be mounted in the new year as a number of African countries and their Arab counterparts have agreed to explore fresh peace initiatives.

Nigeria's Foreign Minister, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, made the statement in an address to his kinsmen at the ceremony marking the official presentation of the Ohafia 3-year development plan. He added that the nation was committed to playing its role as a regional leader in Africa, This Day reported.

Maduekwe said the peace meeting slated for the first week of January at Doha, Qatar, was convened at the instance of the host and would involve 10 nations, five from Africa and the other five from the Arab world.

According to Maduekwe, foreign ministers from African nations, including Nigeria and Ghana would explore and discuss new peace initiatives with their counterparts from five members of the Arab League, namely the host Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others.

He said that Nigeria was desirous of returning peace to the people of Darfur, noting that once there was tranquillity and cessation of human carnage in the troubled region of Sudan, the Nigerian troops in peace keeping mission would return home.

Presently there are about 15, 000 soldiers in Darfur keeping peace under the United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) with Nigeria providing most of the troops, short of the 26,000 required to effectively maintain peace in the crisis torn area.

Maduekwe said that in 2009, Nigeria under the leadership of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua would still play "a very important role as a regional leader and a country that will ensure that Africa, the continent (where Barack Obama has his roots) drops its image as a continent of misery and cry to a continent of Yes We Can."

He reiterated Nigeria's opposition to the military takeover in Mauritania and Guinea following the death of long serving President Lansana Konte.According to him, President Yar'Adua, who is "providing strong, dynamic, focused leadership" would continue to pilot the nation to engage on issues affecting the African continent, including promoting participatory democracy.

Apparently referring to the unease over the true state of health of Nigeria's leader, Maduekwe said that President Yar'Adua "has physical, emotional and mental stamina to take Nigeria to the next level as an important economy and one of the 20 important economies in the world and indeed an important global player."

Previous Stories:
  African troops to leave Sudan without agreement   (7/1/2006)
  Sudanese rebels urged to sign Darfur peace   (5/3/2006)
  Meirghani for Egyptian- Libyan forces in Darfur   (3/20/2006)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search