Opening remarks to the Joint Commission as delivered by Ms. Aichatou Mindaoudou, Acting Joint Special  Representative  of  the  African  Union - United  Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and Acting Joint Chief Mediator ad interim

Khartoum, Sudan, 15 October 2012

Members and Observers of the Joint Commission,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I wish to welcome you all to the second meeting of the Joint Commission.  Your presence here today is not simply a response to a call of duty but a reflection of support to the implementation of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), of which the ceasefire and final security arrangements provisions are very important aspects.
 

Your continued support to the Joint Commission is a clear demonstration of your continuing commitment to our common effort to promote peace and security in Darfur, and lay a solid foundation for reconstruction and development.
 

Since the DDPD was signed in July 2011, efforts by its parties, the Government of Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) to implement its provisions remain confronted by a number of challenges. Ten months ago, on 18 December 2011, we met here to inaugurate the Joint Commission. At the time, we were very optimistic that the stage was set for a smooth and full implementation of not only the provisions related to the Permanent Ceasefire and Final Security Arrangements but the clauses of the DDPD as a whole. Today, we have to note that the process has been very slow and, in the case of the work of the Ceasefire Commission, can even be described as stagnant. 
 

As you are aware, after several changes of schedule, and following a decision of the Joint Commission during the inaugural meeting on the necessity to make progress, the verification of the LJM forces and strength was held from 5 to 9 March 2012. Regrettably, however, its outcome remains inconclusive.  UNAMID undertook a number of initiatives aimed at coordinating the parties’ efforts to resolve the deadlock and move forward to the most critical aspects of the implementation of the security arrangements provisions, but a solution is yet to be found.  

 Therefore, no progress has been  made towards the implementation of the provisions related to non-military logistical support to the movements; limited arms control; the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants into the Sudanese Armed Forces and Police Forces, or their social and economic reintegration into civilian society. The parties have not been able to establish the Joint Coordination Mechanism (JCM) designed to promote confidence building between LJM combatants and the Sudanese Armed Forces, and to contribute in maintaining security in Darfur.
 

Steps have not yet been taken by GoS, in consultation with the DRA, to recruit male and female volunteers from the local communities, IDPs and returning refugees into the Community Police, to participate in maintaining the security and safety of the IDP camps and voluntary return areas. No progress is recorded against all these benchmarks because they are directly or indirectly contingent upon a conclusive outcome of the verification exercise.

Owing to the proliferation of small arms in the hands of civilians in Darfur, the DDPD parties undertook to develop, with the support of UNDP and UNAMID, a strategy and plans for the implementation of a voluntary civilian arms control programme. Concrete steps are yet to be taken in this direction. 

Similarly, the DDPD provided for the disarmament and disbandment of armed militia groups as a prerequisite for the implementation of comprehensive arms control measures in order to ensure security throughout Darfur. In this regard, we must commend steps taken by the Government of Sudan to present to the CFC chairperson a comprehensive plan for the disarmament and disbandment of armed militias, and for combating illegally armed persons, bandits and other outlaw groups both foreign and local operating in Darfur, including measures for the rehabilitation and socio-economic reintegration of members of the disbanded groups.

We are witnessing an increasing number of security related incidents in North Darfur, including armed clashes between members of different communities with high civilian casualties. This alarming development calls for urgent and speedy implementation of this plan. I therefore urge the Government of Sudan, working closely with the CFC, to expedite action in this regard.

Fellow members/observers of the Joint Commission, ladies and gentlemen,

It is evident that the impasse in the verification exercise will significantly impede the establishment of a secure environment, a prerequisite not just for the voluntary and dignified return of IDPs and refugees but also for the effective and evenly spread implementation of reconstruction and development projects. This has been confirmed by the outcomes of the just concluded DJAM workshops held in all the five states of Darfur from 18 September to 6 October.

History has shown us time and again that bold concessions are often a tool of change for the better.  I, therefore, wish to take the opportunity to urge the Government and the LJM to demonstrate commitment and flexibility in efforts to reach an agreement on the way forward to concluding the verification of the LJM forces and strength, in the interest of peace and security in Darfur.  

While the overall process of DDPD implementation has been very slow and continues to face huge challenges, some progress has been made. Although seriously lacking in capacity, the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) has been able to conduct an All Darfur conference. The experience and lessons learned thereof are  now helping us to develop the Darfur-based internal dialogue and consultation, one of the three pillars of the Framework for African Union and United Nations Facilitation of the Darfur Peace Process.

Currently, the DRA is leading the DJAM process, established to identify and assess the needs for economic recovery, development and poverty eradication in Darfur. The assessed needs as well as the resources required for addressing them will be presented at the donor conference scheduled to take in December in Doha. The moral and material support of the international development partners in this regard, without which the process would not have taken off and reached its current state, has been tremendous.  UNAMID will continue to support these efforts. I urge the DDPD parties, particularly the Government of Sudan, to continue to collaborate closely with their international friends and partners, including by providing them with access indispensable to our common work, to all areas of Darfur, in the interest of peace and development.

I wish all of us fruitful deliberations. Thank you and God bless.