El Fasher, 17 December 2013 – The seventh meeting of the Implementation Follow-up Commission (IFC) of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) was held on 16 December in El Fasher, North Darfur, to discuss progress and challenges in the implementation of the DDPD since the Commission's last meeting in September this year.

The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister of the State of Qatar, H.E. Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud. The Government of Sudan was represented by Minister of State Dr. Amin Hassan Omer, while the Chairperson of the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA), Dr. El Tigani Seisi, and Mr. Altoum Suliman Mohammed Arbaa, represented the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) and Justice and Equality Movement-Sudan, respectively. Also in attendance were the representatives of the African Union, the European Union, the League of Arab States, Canada, Chad, China, Egypt, France, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the AU-UN Joint Special Representative and Joint Chief Mediator represented UNAMID.

Speaking to the media following the IFC meeting, JSR Chambas noted that the signing of the agreement on 20 November by the Government of Sudan and the LJM on the Final Security Arrangements was a step forward in the implementation of the DDPD. The agreement, he said, was aimed at the integration of LJM combatants into the Sudan Armed Forces and the Police as well as their participation in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process. He also highlighted the commencement of 315 reconstruction and development projects, in line with the Darfur Development Strategy as a positive development towards bringing peace dividends to the people of Darfur. He hoped that the on boarding of the Justice and Equality Movement-Sudan would bring impetus to the implementation of the DDPD.

Dr. Chambas briefed on his efforts to bring the non-signatory movements to the negotiation table on the basis of the DDPD. He noted that at the technical workshop organized by the Joint Mediation in cooperation with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in Addis Ababa, the movements reiterated their commitment to a negotiated political process to end the conflict, and expressed readiness for a humanitarian cessation of hostilities.

Deputy Prime Minister Al Mahmoud reiterated the commitment of the State of Qatar to the development of Darfur and its support to early recovery projects for the region. “It is very important to restore the social fabric, in addition to the political process," he said. The Deputy Prime Minister noted that one of the factors that are delaying the implementation of the DDPD is the increased insecurity in Darfur following the surge in tribal conflicts in 2013.

Earlier, on 15 December, the facilitators of the Darfur Internal Dialogue and Consultation (DIDC), the State of Qatar, the African Union and UNAMD, met and adopted a strategy and roadmap for the conduct of the DIDC as stipulated in the DDPD.