The Backbone of Darfur’s Peace Agreement

Chapter VI of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur deals with the permanent ceasefire and final security arrangements. Arguably, it is the most important chapter of the Document.

By Patrick Nyamvumba, UNAMID Force Commander

On 14 July 2011, the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur was signed by two former belligerents, namely the Government of Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement.

The DDPD consists of seven chapters, each of which is dedicated to a specific issue. Chapter I deals with human rights and fundamental freedoms, while chapter II is concerned with powersharing and the administrative status of Darfur. The third chapter is on wealth sharing, the fourth on compensation and the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, while the fifth covers justice and reconciliation. Chapter VI deals with a permanent ceasefire and final security arrangements. The last chapter, chapter VII, details internal dialogue and consultation and implementation modalities.

Needless to say, each of the seven chapters of the DDPD is important to the parties and must have taken hundreds of hours to negotiate. Yes, each of the seven chapters is crucial for the successful implementation of the entire DDPD. After all, all the seven chapters are interrelated so that the success of one affects the success of the other six.

Having said that, however, it would be fair to say that some chapters are more important than others, at least in terms of the degree of impact on the entire peace process. In fact, I will argue that chapter VI, the chapter that deals with the permanent ceasefire and final security arrangements, is the most important of them all. Here is why.

Read the full article in the August issue of Voices of Darfur. Download the magazine (PDF) here.