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United States Hails Darfur Peace Accord

06 May 2006

Agreement calls for prompt disarmament of Jingaweit, other armed militia groups

By Howard Cincotta
Washington File Special Correspondent

Washington -- The United States praised the Darfur Peace Agreement, signed in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 5 between the government of Sudan and the principal rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), as a vital step in ending the suffering of the people of Darfur and providing an opportunity for national peace and reconciliation.

The accord provides for detailed, verifiable steps to disarm and neutralize the Jingaweit and other armed militia groups, and opens the way for economic recovery and integration of the former combatants and people of Darfur into the political process.

"This is an important day for the people of Darfur," according to a White House statement that stressed the unity of the international community in pressing for the peace agreement, and in ensuring it full implementation.  The statement also called upon two holdout rebel leaders, Khalil Ibrahim of the Justice and Equality Movement and Abdul Wahid Nur of the SLM, "to join the peace process."

The White House later reported that President Bush called President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and President Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo, and current head of the African Union, to thank them for their outstanding work in achieving the Darfur accord.

In his conversation with President Obasanjo, Bush asked for Nigeria’s help in moving the agreement and its enforcement to the United Nations, according to news reports.

Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick, the chief U.S. negotiator in the peace talks, said that the peace accord is an opportunity for an end to violence and a new political future for Darfur, but acknowledged the dangers and threat remain.  (See related article.)

"Does Darfur remain a dangerous place, yes, it does," Zoellick said in a press conference from Abuja on May 5, where he engaged in virtually non-stop negotiations with African and Sudanese representative in recent days.  "Can one assure that there's not going to be any violence?  No, one can't" he said.  "But you now have at least the commitment of the major rebel movement and the government not to be conducting violent operations."

The Darfur accord calls upon the Sudanese government to prepare a detailed plan for the neutralization and disarmament of the Jingaweit and other militia groups with 37 days of the agreement's signing, according to Zoellick.  The disarmament would be verified by the African Union.  There are also provisions for buffer zones around the refugee camps, and "humanitarian corridors" that neither Sudanese nor rebel forces can enter, he said.

"The Jingaweit and other armed militia be disarmed before the rebel forces assemble and prepare for their own disarmament and integration," Zoellick said.  He also pointed to recommendations in the agreement calling for 4,000 "former combatants" to be integrated into the national army, 1,000 in the police, and 3,000 into training programs to assist with civilian reconstruction.

On the political front, Zoellick said that the Darfur agreement complements and strengthens the earlier North-South Comprehensive Peace Accord in Sudan.  He noted, for example, that the Darfur agreement calls for naming a representative of the rebel movement as a senior assistant to the president -- the fourth-highest position in the Sudanese government.  The same person would also serve as "chairperson" of a transitional Darfur regional authority, Zoellick added.

Zoellick cited provisions in the agreement for state and local elections no later July 2009, a commitment by the central government for economic assistance in Darfur, and a promise by the international community to hold a donors conference in the future.

Asked about rebel leaders who have not yet signed the Darfur agreement, Zoellick stressed that all parties remain subject to the terms of a separate ceasefire that remains in effect.  "It’s time to turn from guns and bullets to making decisions through political debates and the ballot box under the Comprehensive Peace Accord," Zoellick said.

Throughout the negotiations, negotiators tried to keep their focus on the people of Darfur, Zoellick said.  "They're the ones that have really suffered and they're the ones who are crying out for peace and they deserve a fair shot at not only returning to their homes, but political participation in the Sudan that is struggling to overcome its past by achieving peace, both North and South and East and West."

The full text of the White House statement on the Darfur Peace Agreement is available on the White House Web site.

The transcript of Deputy Secretary Robert Zoellick's Abuja press conference is available on the State Department Web site.

For more information on the Sudan peace process, see Darfur Humanitarian Emergency.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)