November 16, 2009 (PARIS) – The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said has reservation on the participation of many civil society organizations in the Doha peace talks saying they are dominated by followers of the ruling party in Khartoum.
Civil society groups arrived in the Qatari capital where they are expected to start a consultative meeting on Tuesday. The UN organizations particularly the hybrid mission in Darfur (UNAMID) supervised the selection of civil society representatives amid the boycott of internally displaced people who are hostile to the process at the current stage.
“Despite our support to the civil society participation in the peace process, we are strongly opposed to the presence of most of these groups that arrived here in Doha because most of them are composed of members of the National Congress Party,” said JEM spokesperson Ahmed Hussein Adam.
Speaking from Doha, Ahmed said the mediation and the UNAMID selected these groups without any consultation with them. He further said that Darfur IDPs and refugees are not represented among these groups.
JEM, despite the boycott of the peace talks, dispatched last week a delegation to the Qatari capital to hold talks with the mediation on the strategy of the Doha process. The rebel group considers the road map and the group involved in the process should be determined with them and not only with Khartoum government.
The rebel official also said there is confusion over the role of local civil society groups saying some think they should take part in the peace talks.
“The role of civil society groups is purely consultative and in any case they are not a substitute to the conflicting parties,” JEM official spokesperson said.
He further urged the mediation to take in consideration the absent majority of Darfur civil society and to work for its inclusion in the process.
On Wednesday, the mediation is expected to open another session of talks attended by the government and rebel delegations.
(ST)
حركة العدل و المساواة السودانية
موقع متخصص بنقل آخر الأخبار و البيانات و القرارات لحركة العدل و المساواة السودانية