January 21, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — The UN Secretary General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission renewed their support to the Doha peace process to end the eight year conflict in the strife-torn Darfur region.
Amid the regional and the international focus on the secession of the southern Sudan, Khartoum pulled out its negotiating delegation from Doha and asked the mediators to conclude the process by presenting a peace deal to the parties for the signing.
Also tasked to help the Sudanese parties to finalize the implementation of the North South peace deal and to end Darfur conflict the former South African president Thabo Mbeki seeks to replace the Doha process by another operation based inside Sudan with the support of the government.
Qatari Minister for foreign affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud and Joint Chief Mediator Djibril Bassole met on 18 and 21 January respectively with the head of AU commission Jean Ping and the UN chief Ban Ki-Moon.
Ping expressed his renewed confidence in the mediators to conclude a political agreement between the warring parties in Darfur. Also in New York, Ban Ki-Moon reiterated his continued support for the mediation team and promised to devote all available resources allowing them to reach a final and comprehensive peace to the conflict.
The mediators informed the heads of the two regional and international organizations about the efforts exerted for an inclusive peace in Doha and the consultations made with all the Sudanese parties including local governments, IDPs, and civil society representatives during their tour in Darfur last December.
In New York, Al-Mahmoud and Bassole also held separate meetings with the ambassadors to the UN Security Council to inform them about their efforts for peace in Darfur.
Darfur rebel groups expressed separately their support to the Doha peace process. They also rejected government’s strategy for peace and a conference on political dialogue in Darfur promoted by the former president Mbeki.
US special envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration called last week for more international support to the Doha process.
Analysts say attempts to minimize the political role played by the rebel groups in the political process would lead to more violence in the region. It would encourage the government to fight the armed movement but also the latter would seek to intensify their fight to force the government to reconsider its position, they said.
(ST)