Darfur Consortium: Action: Press Releases

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Darfur Consortium statement on the Abuja peace talks on Darfur

(NAIROBI, June 22, 2023 ) The Darfur Consortium and its member organizations are greatly concerned with the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Darfur. Violence and military activities in the region continue consequently the numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and war-affected people are in steady increase. We are also concerned that some parts of the region experience a killer famine because of aggressions and assaults against relief workers and blockade of access routes.

The convening of the Fifth Round of the Inter-Sudanese Peace Talks on Darfur is an important opportunity for a peaceful negotiated settlement of the conflict. However, we are very concerned that precious time was lost since the beginning of the Talks on 10th June 2005 and that little progress was made. The situation on the ground, especially the living conditions of IDPs and war-affected people, is so acute and so dire that it requires immediate and decisive action on the part of the negotiating parties. There is an urgent need to end violence and crimes committed in the region, in particular against women and children. Information we received confirmed that military operations, attacks and counterattacks continue while the negotiators are meeting in Abuja. This hardly creates conditions conducive to a healthy atmosphere for the negotiations to come to a successful conclusion.

We, therefore, call on the negotiating parties to agree on the following:

1. A real ceasefire agreement that puts an end to all kinds of hostilities in the region. This arrangement should be monitored by independent observers instead of the current mechanism, which proved to be ineffective.
2. Immediate disarmament of the Janjaweed militia and arrest of their leaders in accordance with numerous demands made by African Union (AU) policy-making organs, UN Security Council and other regional and international institutions.
3. Ensure full participation and inclusion of women in the Talks in line with the AU Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa and the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

ENDS

1 TOGO SANS ETHNIES

Action Professionals Association for the People

Aegis Trust Rwanda

African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies

African Center for Development

African Center for Justice and Peace Studies

Africa Internally Displaced Persons Voice (Africa IDP Voice)

African Security Dialogue and Research (ASDR)

African Women's Development and Communications Network (FEMNET)

The Ahueni Foundation

Alliances for Africa

Amman Centre for Human Rights Studies

Andalus Institute for Tolerance

Anti-Slavery International

Arab Coalition for Darfur

Arab Program for Human Rights Activists

Association Africaine de Defense des Droits de l'Homme (ASADHO)

Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

Centre for Minority Rights Development (CEMIRIDE)

Centre for Research Education and Development of Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights (CREDO)

Citizens for Global Solutions

Conscience International

Conseil National Pour les Libertés en Tunisie

Darfur Alert Coalition (DAC)

Darfur Centre for Human Rights and Development

Darfur Leaders Network (DLN)

Darfur Reconciliation and Development Organization (DRDO)

Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre

East Africa Law Society

Egyptian Organization for Human Rights

Femmes Africa Solidarité

La Fédération Internationale des Droits de l'Homme (FIDH)

Forum of African Affairs (FOAA)

Human Rights First

Human Rights Institute of South Africa (HURISA)

Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa

Institute for Security Studies

Inter-African Union for Human Rights (UIDH)

Interights

International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya)

International Refugee Rights Initiative

Justice Africa

Justice and Peace Commission

Lawyers for Human Rights

Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections

Legal Resources Consortium-Nigeria

Ligue Tunisienne des Droits de l'Homme

Makumira University College, Tumaini University

Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)

Minority Rights Group

National Association of Seadogs

Never Again International

Open Society Justice Initiative

Pan-African Movement

Rencontre Africaine Pour la Defense des Droits de l'Homme (RADDHO)

Sierra Leone STAND Chapter

Sisters' Arabic Forum for Human Rights (SAF)

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)

Sudan Organization Against Torture (SOAT)

Syrian Organization for Human Rights

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC)

Universal Human Rights Network

WARIPNET

Women Initiative Nigeria (WIN)