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Sudanese rebel group renews rejection of Darfur peace deal: report

Xinhua, June 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

Sudan's Liberation Movement (SLM), has renewed its rejection to join the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) as a base for negotiation, reported Sudan's Tribune.

The influential rebel group in Sudan's Darfur said "The movement's position is fixed, and it rejects signing the DDPD as a base for negotiation," Minni Arko Minnawi, SLM leader, was quoted as saying.

"The consultations, recently held in Doha with Qatari mediation, began with a question about the possibility of opening the DDPD for negotiations or not, and the sessions ended with this question unanswered," he noted.

He went on to say that "We explained that our conditions are merely procedural, represented in these questions: is the Doha deal subject to a reopening for negotiations or not? And can Doha become a member of the African Union mediation?"

According to the report, Minnawi considered continuing consultations with the Qatari mediator as impractical if mediators insisted on the DDPD as a base for negotiation.

"If this is their sole stance then consultations can no longer continue," said Minnawi.

Last May 30 and 31, Qatar's mediator consulted in Doha with the leader of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Jibril Ibrahim as well as SLM leader Minni Minnawi regarding joining the Darfur peace deal.

The rebel JEM, SLM/Abdul-Wahid Mohamed Nur faction as well as the SLM/Minni Minnawi faction all rejected the DDPD, claiming it did not meet the demands of Darfur's population.

The rebel JEM and SLM have previously asked Qatar to play a more prominent role with respect to mediation with the Sudanese government.

They wanted the Sudanese government to join the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP), led by Thabo Mbeki, to bridge the differences between rivals.

However, the Sudanese government rejected the armed groups' proposal.

The DDPD was finally signed as a Darfur peace document in July 2011 in Qatar's capital city, Doha, between the Sudanese government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), led by Tijani Sese, following an entire year of negotiations. Endit