The Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), the culmination of two years of peace negotiations between the Government of the Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM), was yesterday officially launched at a dissemination event in Nyala, South Darfur.

The exercise “aims at delivering the DDPD text and communicating its content to increase greater awareness of the peace agreement and what it holds for the people of Darfur. The parties need to ensure that the DDPD message is taken to every corner of Darfur,” said UNAMID Joint Special Representative (JSR) and Joint Chief Mediator a.i Ibrahim Gambari.

More than 200 people, mostly consisting of internally displaced persons (IDPs), participated, along with Chairperson of the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) Tijani Seissi, newly appointed South Darfur Wali (Governor) Hamad Ismail Hamad Abdelkareem, and JSR Gambari.

In his remarks, Mr. Seissi stressed that the implementation of the Document is not only between the Government and LJM, but for all the people of Darfur. The Chairperson also reiterated his commitment to work with everyone to ensure the full implementation of the DDPD and to address the issue of voluntary return of those internally displaced.

“Despite the challenges, we are optimistic that the people of Darfur will make achievements in changing the situation in Darfur. The international community has assured their support to help us develop our states,” he added.

Wali Hamad Ismail Hamad Abdelkareem reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to implement the Agreement. “We are moving forward and here in South Darfur we are ready to host the land and Voluntary Return and Resettlement Commissions under the DRA,” said the Wali.

“The DDPD offers an opportunity for a new beginning, but this is a shared responsibility. We are all committed to sustainable peace in Darfur and must support the signatories in their efforts,” said JSR Gambari who called on the hold-out movements to join the process.

The dissemination exercise which began in February in South Darfur has conducted six workshops in Nyala, while similar exercises have also been organized in North, West and Central Darfur.

Mr. Gambari concluded the day at UNAMID’s hospital in Nyala where he visited three peacekeepers who were injured in the line of duty on 25 February. He thanked them for their service and wished them a speedy recovery.
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