Photo: Olivier Chassot/United Nations The Government of Sudan and one of the main rebel factions in Darfur have signed a ceasefire agreement to move the peace process forward, the United Nations-African Union mediator announced today.
"This is a major breakthrough in the road towards a comprehensive and lasting peace accord in Darfur," said Aichatou Mindaoudou, who is also the Acting Joint Special Representative in the UN-AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID).
The Government, represented by State Minister and Head of the Darfur Follow-up Office, Amin Hassan Omer, signed the ceasefire with Arko Sulaiman Dahiya, Vice Chairman and Head of Delegation from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), on 10 February in Doha, Qatar.
The agreement now lays the groundwork to start negotiations on other substantive issues, such as power and wealth-sharing and return of internally displaced persons and refugees.
The negotiations for the ceasefire had begun last month in Qatar under the parameters set in the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD). The DDPD forms the basis for a permanent ceasefire and comprehensive peace agreement to end the fighting that began in Darfur ten years ago, pitting government forces and allied militiamen against rebel groups.
JEM is the second rebel group to commit to the DDPD, after the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) signed it last year.
Following the signing, Ms. Mindaoudou congratulated both parties and said she hoped that the agreement would attract the non-signatory movements to join in the peace process.
"The road to peace is challenging and needs a great deal of resolve, perseverance and concessions from both sides," said Ms. Mindaoudou, reiterating her commitment to continue to work with the parties to the conflict towards achieving a comprehensive peace in Darfur.
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" This can only be a good thing for Africa, unity starting to reshape the continent and not allowing for Africans to be in this fish bowl of western microscopic disections!!!!.Africa needs to pull itself far away from interfernce meddling and dictators policies on the continent. They saend thier NGO's whose seeming objectives are to impliment western ideolgies policies with a subourdinate Africa recipient'.. They make plans without African coordination or even knowledge; when we hear congres in the US decding to seel troops into Africa as if Africa is a property or ward of the US. wHEN WE SEE fRNACE SENDING AND INVADING aFRICA MULTIPLE TIMES WITHOUT A "BY YOUR LEAVE SIR" !!!. Africa must crave out its identity strong firm upright secure definitive. Sudan is being palgued by western inmterfernce stoking ethnic vbiol;ence telling one set of Black Africans that they are differnt from another set of Africans. They for get to tell Africans that monotheism is BLLACK an AFRICAN religion schoolde by all Africans prior to colonisation in whatever time in history where the racial demographics changed thruout AFRICA. Today it is important for all AFRICA to stand united regardles of belief sect denomination; Africa is the melting of pot of humanity where all persons have a direct connect with this Glorious Continent'. Man took thier breath of life here civilizations were born here for millions of years!. In order for Africa to succeed today questioning being vigilant being resourceful is what is left for Africa to progress. Lies hypocrisy double standards are what we see as standard comming from the mouths of the deceptionist unless we are intertwined consolidated incorporated we will suffer at thier hands of trickery stealth seddition espionage rumour mongering war mongering and the list goes on!!!!!!!!!!. For our children to grow with mor5ality integrity using science mathmatics to improve thier lives we will be seen as contnent of aids aid conflict corruption negativityon a whole. What we have been doing is playing to thier narrative the storylines they have created for us over the past few centuries. They the west has been very clever and we have been very naive easily manipulated. We have allowed for us to even hate ourselves self hate ;;; they have been busy cleverboys!!!. If we saty undivided we will be constantly used for thier occupations interventions dictations. they will contiue to spread the narrative of terrrosim which everyone buys into when they hear about suicide bombers etc... Shouls we truly seek to make PEACE SALAM really mean what it meant when our prophets used the word, then we as AFRICANS will find in thruout the continent. As long as we remeber that unless ALLAH WILLS IT' there is nothing these barbarians can do/ All thier little tricks will come to nought there dishonesty will shine bright. When brothers and sisters sit down at a table and truly speak with honesty pride wize intellect trustworthiness without agendas just love of our MOSTHIGH GOD OUR CREATOR OUR BEFIFACTOR". Our problems will be solved it wont be perfect it will be better than perfect because we ". THIS IS LIKE MELANIN OUR DNA IT CAN NOT BE MISPLACED LOST OR FORGOTTEN. IT CAN BE OPPRESED SUPPRESSED DOWNPRESSED EVEN MANIPULATED BUT WHEN WE GO FORWARD TO OUR BASICS WE WILL ALWAYS FIND THE TRUTH 'IT IS PART OF OUR BEING OUR MANIFEST CREATION"!!!!!!!!