Um Jaras (Chad), 26 March 2014 — To move the peace process forward, and at the invitation of Chadian President Idris Deby, African Union-United Nations Joint Special Representative (JSR) for Darfur Mohamed Ibn Chambas attended today the Um Jaras Forum in Chad. The forum, a gathering of Zaghawa leaders, is designed to build consensus in getting the Darfur armed movements to join the peace process. Sudanese Vice President Hassabo Mohamed Abdul Rahman also attended.

In the forum, the JSR emphasized the need for all the parties in Darfur to commit to dialogue without preconditions and to resolve differences through political not military means. “There is imperative need to recognize that after 10 years of fighting and attendant bloodshed in Darfur, nobody has emerged victorious,” he said. “The lesson from this is very clear and simple – parties have to unconditionally find each other across the negotiation table and talk, and reach agreements.”

Mr. Chambas said that the suspension of hostilities is essential and that promises to talk cannot inspire confidence if at the same time fighting continues and intensifies. “The ongoing attacks on civilian villages and camps for internally displaced people, alleged to be carried out by the Rapid Support Forces, are a matter of concern and are an ugly blemish on our efforts to dialogue; regardless of who is ultimately responsible for this violence, it must now stop,” he said, adding that it is the main cause of displacement of about 200,000 civilians in Darfur in the past month alone.

“Also, the military attacks of the rebel movements must stop; they have proven incapable of defeating Sudan Armed Forces and only increase the suffering of the people of Darfur,” he continued. “Similarly, we must do all within our means to end the inter-tribal clashes, which caused a displacement of more than 400,000 persons in 2013 and continue to be a source of death and destruction this year.”

The Head of UNAMID highlighted the need to facilitate delivery of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations. “Darfur has been experiencing one of the worst man-made humanitarian crises in the world,” he said. “Without enabling the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the multitudes of Darfuris who need it, our sincerity to finding a durable solution to the conflict is bound to flounder.”

Mr. Chambas, who is also the AU-UN Joint Chief Mediator for Darfur, mentioned that it is imperative to support and promote Darfur’s participation in the national dialogue announced by President Bashir in January 2014. “The political gain of the DDPD [the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur] should feed into the national dialogue process, and in turn a successful national dialogue process should also create an enabling environment to implement the positive aspects of the DDPD and, in particular, the Darfur Development Strategy, with total national consensus and support.”