Doha, 11 September 2011 – The Joint Chief Mediator (JCM) ad interim for Darfur, Ibrahim Gambari, said today that the agreement signed between the Sudanese government and one of its armed opponents gives hope that a permanent ceasefire and comprehensive and lasting peace in Darfur are realizable objectives.

In an address to the inaugural meeting of the Implementation Follow-Up Committee of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) in the Qatari capital, JCM Gambari said the agreement “debunks the widely held view that the conflict in Darfur is intractable and defies solutions”.

The DDPD must therefore be implemented faithfully and in a timely manner,” Gambari said, adding that: “In doing so, it would serve as a litmus test for the viability of comprehensive and inclusive peace in Darfur.” He said it was his hope that this would also have a positive bearing on the internal Darfur political process and encourage hold-out armed movements to join in.

“Timely and faithful implementation of the provisions of the DDPD would also open up the vista for several early recovery and development projects and reconciliation initiatives which would address the root causes of the conflict and ensure the attainment of lasting peace and stability in Darfur,” Gambari added. Gambari, the Joint Special Representative of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), took on the additional role of interim JCM after the signing of the DDPD.

Ibrahim Gambari, with the Qatari Foreign Minister and the Former JCM, Djibril Bassole. Photo by Albert Gonzalez Farran.

The Implementation Follow-Up Committee (IFC) brings together representatives from the government of Qatar which hosted the Darfur peace negotiations for over two years, the government of Sudan, the armed movements, the African union, the United Nations, UNAMID and about a dozen organisations and national governments.

Key on the agenda of its meeting were discussion on a support package for DDPD implementation and a road map of the way towards a permanent ceasefire and comprehensive peace in Darfur, including targeted actions by international partners.

The IFC’s inaugural meeting marks yet another significant step forward following the signing of the DDPD in Doha between the Government of Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) on July 14. The Cease-Fire Commission (CFC) has held its second meeting in El Fasher, North Darfur, where UNAMID has its headquarters. At its second meeting last week the CFC decided to sit every two weeks to give added momentum to its work.

Click here for the full text of JCM Gambari’s address.