Chad/Sudan: Chad’s President meets with SLM leader in Paris last Monday
January 25, 2008 (PARIS)— The Chadian President Idriss Deby met last Monday with the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Abdel Wahid Al-Nur in the French capital where Deby was on a private visit. January 25, 2008 (PARIS)— The Chadian President Idriss Deby met last Monday with the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Abdel Wahid Al-Nur in the French capital where Deby was on a private visit.
Following
the refusal of the SLM founder to sign the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA)
and the deterioration of the relations between Khartoum and N’djamena,
Chad has been seen supportive for the rebel Justice and Equality
Movement (JEM) and another faction of the SLM on the basis of tribal
considerations. The Chadian president belongs to the Zaghawa tribe while the SLM leader is from the Fur tribe.
Last
September the Arab League foreign ministers formed a ministerial body
co-chaired by the Qatari foreign Minister, Hamad bin Jasim Al-Thani,
Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Jean Ping and Arab
League Secretary General Amr Musa.
The panel is charged with the organization and sponsorship of peace negotiations between the Sudanese
government and the rebel movements. Qatar has been chosen to host the peace talks.
Following
the eruption of Darfur rebellion in February 2003, the Chadian
government sponsored a series of peace talks to end the crisis and
alleviate the humanitarian needs. Khartoum and the rebels signed a
ceasefire agreement in April 2004 in the capital N’djamena. The talks
were later transferred to Abuja, Nigeria.
Al-Nur described the two hours meeting as “cordial and instructive” adding that both sides exchanged views
on the peace process and the necessary conditions “to create a conducive environment for the peace process”.
“We
want to engage Khartoum to prove its good faith and its seriousness to
achieve peace. Because people can easily understand that we do not
trust them. They broke it by the genocide and crimes against humanity
committed against Darfur people and the continual aggression on Darfur
civilians. They did not even honor the DPA signed with Minnawi” he
added.
In the ‘Conflict Suspension proposal’, Al Nur demands that the Sudanese
government disarm the Janjaweed militias and commits itself to the 2004
ceasefire agreement. Furthermore
Al-Nur demands that the IDP’s and refugees be allowed to return to
their lands and the expulsion of the newcomers from the Arab tribes
from Mali and Chad who settled in the IDP’s villages.
During several years Sudan and Chad accused each other of supporting rebel groups in the two
countries. Sudan
had severed its relations with Chad last may after a raid by JEM rebels
on the capital last May. However under regional and international
pressures the two countries resumed bilateral relations last August and
decided to work together for peace in the region. UN experts estimate
some 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million driven from their homes.
Sudan blames the Western media for exaggerating the conflict and puts
the death toll at 10,000. The rebel leader said that peace talks should
be dedicated to the roots causes of the conflict and government should
make “sincere” efforts to repair the consequences of the war first. He
further said that his delegation explained that peace is the strategic
choice of the movement and that their main demands focus on the rights
and the security and humanitarian situation of the victims of this
conflict. “We stressed the importance of the conflict suspension
process in realizing a sustainable peace in Darfur” Al-Nur said.
However Darfur rebel groups appeared hesitant to accept the Qatari
sponsorship of talks saying that the Arab Gulf State cannot be a
neutral broker given its strong relations with Khartoum. According to
Al-Nur, Deby also underlined that peaceful settlement of Darfur crisis
“is crucial for the regional stability”. The rebel chief said that
during the unprecedented meeting, Deby encouraged him to take part in
the Qatari Initiative stressing that “after six years of war the people
of Darfur deserve a just peace to return home and develop their
region”. “I met with the Chadian President Idriss Deby where he
reiterated his support for the efforts to reach a lasting peace in
Darfur led by the State of Qatari” Al-Nur told Sudan Tribune today.
Source : http://www.sudantribune.com