JEM-Sudan suspends Darfur peace committee

The breakaway faction of the Justice and Equality Movement-Sudan (JEM-Sudan, formerly JEM-Bashar) announced the suspension of its joint Darfur peace committee with the government on Thursday, while criticising the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) Follow-up Office of “delaying the implementation of the DDPD”. Spokesman for the JEM-sudan, El Sadig Yousif Zakaria, said in a statement that the DDPD Follow-up Office is “not as optimistic” as the movement, as it is “stalling the implementation”. He claims that the government’s slowness in the joint committee “does not achieve the objectives set up in the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur. “The JEM-Sudan does not have the authority to proceed with the implementation of the agreement. But the movement will continue to move towards the implementation as agreed upon.” Zakaria added that “the options of the movement are open at all levels”. Dr Amin Hassan Omar, head of the DDPD Follow-up Office, commented on Friday that he is not obligated to provide the breakaway faction with any exceptions out of the signed peace document. He stressed that “the movement is demanding things that are not in the powers of the office, nor what has has been agreed upon in the Doha Document for Peace”. ‘Limited progress’ The head of the UN peacekeeping organisations, Hervé Ladsous, briefed the Security Council on the implementation of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur on Thursday. “I can report that the signatories have achieved some limited progress, primarily in the areas of planning and administration. But these successes, if one can call them, did not result in direct and significant benefits to the general population of Darfur.” Ladsous said that all parties must accelerate the implementation of the DDPD.The DDPD, designed to address the root causes of the conflict in Darfur, was signed in May 2011 by the Sudanese government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), and by JEM-Bashar in April 2013.JEM-Sudan faction is chaired by Bakhit Abdallah Abdel Karim (‘Dabjo’), after Mohamed Bashar was killed in a violent clash with mainstream JEM forces in North Darfur in May 2013. File photo: Dr Amin Hassan Omar, head of the governmental DDPD Follow-up Office (SUNA) Related: Non-signatory armed movements may join Darfur peace process: Sese (1 November 2013) Sudan, JEM-Bashar sign protocol on political and military participation (29 March 2013)

The breakaway faction of the Justice and Equality Movement-Sudan (JEM-Sudan, formerly JEM-Bashar) announced the suspension of its joint Darfur peace committee with the government on Thursday, while criticising the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) Follow-up Office of "delaying the implementation of the DDPD".

Spokesman for the JEM-sudan, El Sadig Yousef Zakaria, claimed in a statement that the DDPD Follow-up Office is "stalling the implementation". He stressed that the government's slowness in the joint committee "does not achieve the objectives set up in the DDPD.

"JEM-Sudan does not have the authority to proceed with the implementation of the agreement. But the movement will continue to move towards the implementation as agreed upon.” Zakaria added that “the options of the movement are open at all levels".

Dr Amin Hassan Omar, head of the DDPD Follow-up Office, commented on Friday that he is not obligated to provide the breakaway faction with any exceptions out of the signed peace document. He stressed that "the movement is demanding things that are not in the powers of the Office, nor what has has been agreed upon in the Doha Peace Document".

'Limited progress'

The head of the UN peacekeeping organisations, Hervé Ladsous, briefed the Security Council on the implementation of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur on Thursday. "I can report that the signatories have achieved some limited progress, primarily in the areas of planning and administration. But these successes, if one can call them, did not result in direct and significant benefits to the general population of Darfur."

Ladsous said that all parties must accelerate the implementation of the DDPD.

The DDPD, designed to address the root causes of the conflict in Darfur, was signed in May 2011 by the Sudanese government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), and by JEM-Bashar in April 2013.

JEM-Sudan faction is chaired by Bakhit Abdallah Abdel Karim ('Dabjo'), after Mohamed Bashar was killed in a violent clash with mainstream JEM forces in North Darfur in May 2013.

File photo: Dr Amin Hassan Omar, head of the governmental DDPD Follow-up Office (SUNA)

Related:

Non-signatory armed movements may join Darfur peace process: Sese (1 November 2013)

Sudan, JEM-Bashar sign protocol on political and military participation (29 March 2013)