Darfur JEM severs contacts with AU Mbeki panel

July 6, 2009 (WASHINGTON) — The Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) announced today that it will not deal with the African Union (AU) panel that is looking into ways to resolve the conflict into the Western region of Sudan.
The eight-member commission headed by the former South African president Thabo Mbeki was established by the AU last February in response to the imminent issuance of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.
The AU rallied behind Bashir and criticized the warrant saying it will severely impede peace efforts throughout Sudan.
The commission has been tasked with looking into ways to balance accountability with bringing peace into Darfur and will submit a report to the AU in July.
Last week the AU summit held in Libya issued a resolution saying that its ICC members will not cooperate with the court in the apprehension of Bashir though states such as Botswana announced they will not abide by this decision.
JEM issued a statement today saying that the AU decision is a “blatant bias against the victims and siding with the perpetrator”.
“They chose to convert the AU from an organization aimed at serving the aspirations of the people of the continent in unity, development and prosperity….to one where they show solidarity to protect themselves and their reign and standing against the interests of the people”.
The Darfur rebel movement said that as Mbeki’s panel established by the AU is “an offspring from the original [AU organization] which calls for impunity…to find ways to save the villain from international prosecution”.
“Even though we held our pens and tongues in the past period besides addition to our dissatisfaction with Mbeki’s unrelenting support to Bashir and his refusal to receive any rebel groups or listen to its point of views during his term of power, but the AU decision in Sirte destroyed the last hope for any cooperation between the movement and Mbeki’s panel”.
JEM said that in line with the Darfur IDP’s refusal to deal with the panel adding that the conflict can be resolved through justice and returning rights.
The Darfur movement said it apologizes to other “genuine” members of Mbeki’s panel who came “to help the people of Sudan to get out of the crisis it is in”.
(ST)