Left to right, Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud, Sudan’s State Minister at the Presidency, Amin Hassan Omer, Head of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), General Mohamed Bashar Ahmed, the UNAMID Deputy Joint Special Representative, Aichatou Mindaoudou Souleymane, and the UNAMID JSR, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, after signing the peace agreement. Photo by Albert González Farran.

Doha, 7 April 2013 – Speaking at the signing ceremony of the peace agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Justice and Equality Movement-Sudan (JEM-Sudan) on 6 April in Doha, the new Head of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and Joint Chief Mediator, Mr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas hailed the event as a “milestone in the peace making in Darfur.”

JEM-Sudan is the second group to renounce violence and sign a peace agreement with the Government of Sudan on the basis of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD). The Liberation and Justice Movement was the first group to conclude a peace deal on 14 July 2011.

“Today’s event (…) epitomizes the courage of the Parties in choosing the path of dialogue; and in making the necessary concessions in order to reach agreement for the sake of moving Darfur closer to a comprehensive settlement of the conflict that has brought so much hardships to its victims,” said Mr. Chambas, urging the hold-out movements to abandon violence and embrace dialogue to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the decade-long conflict on the basis of the DDPD.
 

Mr. Chambas praised the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, for his generous patronage of the Darfur peace process. He commended the Qatari Deputy Prime Minister, Ahmad bin Abdallah Al Mahmoud, for his tireless and successful mediation efforts. The UNAMID Chief also acknowledged the mediation efforts by his predecessors Mr. Djibrill Bassolé, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and Ms. Aichatou Mindaoudou, who, jointly with the Deputy Prime Minister Al Mahmoud, helped develop the basis for achieving comprehensive peace in Darfur.
“At this juncture, I reaffirm my commitment and readiness to build on the foundation already laid and achievements made by my predecessors; and to closely collaborate and work with all the regional and international partners, including in particular the State of Qatar and the other members of the Implementation Follow-Up Commission; and with all the belligerent parties in order to push the peace process forward and towards its logical conclusion,” Mr. Chambas said. 
The signing ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani; Sudan’s First Vice President, Ali Osman Taha; Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar, Ahmad bin Abdallah Al Mahmoud; Dr. El Tigani Seisi, Chairperson of the Darfur Regional Authority; and, Mohamed Bashar, President of JEM-Sudan.  Several African heads of state, diplomats, Qatari officials, and representatives of the League of Arab States, African Union and Organization of Islamic Cooperation were also in attendance.