June 23, 2009 (PARIS) — Darfur joint peace mediator said today Sudan and rebels would exchange prisoners in implementation of a goodwill and confidence building deal they signed last February in Doha.
“The Sudanese government and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) have agreed exchange prisoners of War (POWs) in the coming days, the Joint African-Union United Nations Mediator Djibril Bassolé told Sudan Tribune from Khartoum on Tuesday.
“Sudan will release 20 members of the rebel group and JEM will free 60 soldiers,” he further said.
After around two months of talks in the Qatari capital, the delegations of the two parties left Doha without making tangible progress in the negotiations. Sudan and JEM had resumed meetings after the suspension of talks by the rebel group to protest against the non-implementation of the goodwill agreement.
JEM went back to Doha saying they only want to discuss the implementation of February deal particularly, the humanitarian assistance and the release of their POWs. Khartoum said the prisoners would only be released after the ceasefire signing but rejected rebels claims about the deterioration of the humanitarian situation after the eviction of 13 aid groups.
Bassolé asserted the commitment of the two parties to implement the unannounced deal. He however expected some delay due to the start of the rainy season on the ground.
He also expressed the determination of the mediation to reach a ceasefire agreement in the upcoming round which is expected to take place within two months.
The former Burkina Faso foreign minister briefed the African ambassadors accredited in Khartoum in a meeting held on Tuesday about the progress of the peace process.
“We also sent a letter to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the European Union and Japan about the negotiations.”
The ongoing mediation which is sponsored by the Qatari government is collectively supported by the African Union, the European Union, the United Nations and the international community particularly the US, China and Japan.
Bassolé said it was important for the mediators to keep informed the different partners on the progress on the talks stressing to the need to move together with all the stakeholders toward peace.
The leader of the rebel United Resistance Front (URF), Bahar Idriss Abu Garda, on Sunday urged the mediation to broaden the negotiations to include other rebel groups.
Bassolé said the process would not remain only bilateral between Sudan and JEM adding they plan to make it more comprehensive after the signing of the ceasefire between the warrant parties to include the different rebel groups and the civil society.
The joint mediator also disclosed that he would meet five rebel groups among them the URF in Libya next week. “I have a meeting with them on the sidelines of the African summit scheduled for 1-3 July in Sirte,” he said.
Speaking about the need to settle Sudan – Chad differences, Bassolé said the mediation is coordinating its efforts with UN Security Council and the African Union in order to encourage the two countries to ease the current tension and to normalize bilateral relations.
Qatar had sponsored a reconciliation deal on May 3 between neighbouring countries but the Sudan backed Chadian rebels attacked eastern Chad the two days after.
Sudan and Chad trade accusation of supporting respective rebel groups. The current tension between the two countries is seen as an important factor with regard to the ongoing conflict in Darfur.
(ST)
حركة العدل و المساواة السودانية
موقع متخصص بنقل آخر الأخبار و البيانات و القرارات لحركة العدل و المساواة السودانية