The second meeting of the Joint Commission of the Doha Document for Peace (DPDD) took place in Khartoum on Monday October 15. The meeting was aimed at breaking the deadlock between the Government of Sudan (GoS) and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) to discuss the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) process for LJM combatants.<\/p>\n
The Sudanese Armed Forces, since March this year, refuse to integrate the LJM fighters in the DDR process.<\/p>\n
The partners of the DPDD agreed to settle issues relating to the implementation of security arrangements within one month. At the end of the meeting a press statement read \u201cthe meeting agreed that the Ceasefire Commission (CFC) should conclude the verification exercise in areas not verified, and conduct a desk review of the outcomes by 15 November 2012\u201d.<\/p>\n
Acting UNAMID chief, Aichatou Mindaoudou, told the parties that \u201cwe have to note that the process has been very slow and, in the case of the work of the Ceasefire Commission, can even be described as stagnant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other aspects of the security arrangements remain unimplemented, caused by the differences in the process of verification. The DDPD provides to disarm and disband militias, but the recent spike of violence in the region shows how active many of these groups remain.<\/p>\n
At the end of the meeting a communiqu\u00e9 was issued stating that GoS submitted a \u2018comprehensive\u2019 plan to disband these groups.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, it stated that UNAMID chief commander, who is also chairman of the CFC “welcomed GoS decision to respond to the CFC Chairperson\u2019s observations by 12 November 2012, and observed that the full implementation of the provisions related to the disarmament and disbandment of armed militia, will mitigate increasing number of security incidents in Darfur.”<\/p>\n
Mindaoudou, in her statements, pledged to support the regional authority\u2019s efforts to identify and assess the needs for economic recovery, development and poverty eradication in Darfur.<\/p>\n
In addition, she urged GoS “to continue to collaborate closely with international friends and partners, including to provide them with access indispensable to our common work, to all areas of Darfur, in the interest of peace and development.”<\/p>\n
Photograph by Albert Gonzalez, UNAMID<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n