JEM commanders expected at peace talks with Sudan govt
Field commanders of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) participated at a workshop in Addis Ababa this week in preparation for negotiations with the Government of Sudan on a potential Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.
JEM has been battling the Sudanese government in the Darfur and Kordofan regions for more than ten years. Its forces have also encamped in the Bahr al Ghazal region of South Sudan and fought alongside South Sudanese troops in Unity State.
The alliance between JEM and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army – North (SPLA-North) is formalized under the umbrella organization Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), which has opened contacts with Sudan’s National Dialogue committee.
Security talks aim to commit the armed movements to ‘synchronized’ ceasefire agreements in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan prior to the start of a major preparatory meeting on the modalities for SRF participation in the National Dialogue process, according to an AU resolution.
Chief mediator Thabo Mbeki, who heads the AU High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), calls the SPLA-North and Darfur talks two ‘tracks’ of the same process.
Speaking at the adjournment of the SPLA-North talks on Monday he said, “We will then also this month be starting the second track, which are the negotiations between the Government of Sudan and the Darfur movements concerning Darfur.”
“As you know today this important workshop started, which involves the field commanders from JEM and SLM/A-Minni Minawi – 32 of them were here, were going through this workshop over the next four days to prepare for their engagement in those negotiations between Government of Sudan and the Darfur movements later this month,” he explained.
Mbeki noted that originally these talks between the Darfur movements and the government were scheduled to start on 22nd November but now have been rescheduled to the 23rd owing to commitments elsewhere by members of the mediation panel.
The mediator has expressed ‘confidence’ that the two-track process will result in peace in Sudan.
“As a Panel we are really very pleased with the spirit that has been shown – both by the Government delegation and the SPLM-North – I must say also even by the Darfur field commanders whom we met this morning. Our own sense was that they themselves are very keen that these processes leading to the achievement of peace throughout Sudan – that those processes actually move forward.”
File photo: JEM troops in the Unity/West Kordofan area, 15 April 2012 (Adriane Ohanesian/AFP)
Related:
Khartoum and SPLM-N near peace deal: Mbeki (17 Nov.)
Darfur rebel commanders begin ceasefire workshop (17 Nov.)
AU mediators give draft proposal to Two Areas negotiators (16 Nov.)
Ghandour ‘optimistic’ at Two Areas talks (16 Nov.)
Document: SPLA-N position paper at Two Areas talks (16 Nov.)
Timeline: Build-up to the current ‘Two Areas’ talks (15 Nov.)