June 4, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese government and two rebel factions from Darfur region held recently a series of indirect consultations in the Chadian capital, Ndjamena, to consider ways the latter can join the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), and sign a peace agreement with Khartoum.

Sudan Liberation Movement Justice leader Taher Hajer (L), SLM Unity leader, Abdallah Yahia (C) and Abu Al Gasim Imam leader of SLM- 2edR after the alliance agreement in July, 2014 (ST)

The Chairman of the Sudan Liberation Movement for Justice (SLMJ) Taher Hajer Saturday disclosed to Sudan Tribune that his group and the Sudan Liberation Movement (Second Revolution) SLM-SR chaired by Abul Gasim Imam, held indirect consultations with a Sudanese government delegation led by the head of Darfur Peace Office Amin Hassan Omer.

Hajer said the three-day consultations, facilitated by the Chadian President Idriss Deby, were a continuation to previous encounters after their participation in the National Dialogue Conference to present the position of the two movements on the national issues.

He stressed that they accepted to participate in the dialogue conference last October with the prerequisite that "the dialogue is not a substitute to negotiations on issues related to the war affected areas in Darfur region, and Blue Nile and South Kordofan states".

According to the rebel leader the purpose of the consultation was to to consider the next step after the participation in the National Dialogue Conference on 10 October 2015.

Hajer and Imam had arrived to Khartoum on the plane of the Chadian president who participated in the inaugural session of the conference.

The SLMJ leader said they filed their vision for a negotiated solution to the Chadian government .

"We have emphasized to the Chadian brothers that we are with peace and with a negotiated solution. Peace is a strategic option for us if the other party is serious in dialogue and negotiation."

"The Chadian officials delivered our position-paper to Sudanese government delegation and advised them as DDPD facilitators to go to Qatar to discuss the matters related to Darfur and the security arrangements," he said.

Regarding the two groups, Hajer said they are willing to go to Doha and negotiate a peace agreement brokered by the Joint Chief Mediator Martin Uhomoibhi, and the Qatari Ahmed bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud.

"But we underlined that the DDPD is the basis and cannot be opened. So we met with the President Deby and we discussed these matters with him. He pledged as President of Chad and Chairperson of the African Union to overcome these obstacles and find a solution for it".

He further reiterated that if the parties reach a compromise on the possibility to negotiate some issues already tackled in the framework agreement, they are ready to hold peace talks with the government in Doha, pointing that Chad will be a facilitator like other signed agreement.

The Justice and Equality Movement - Dabajo reached a peace agreement with the Sudanese government on 6 April 2013 facilitated by the Chadian President Deby.

The group signed the DDPD and negotiated a peace agreement reviewing the implementation of some provisions they wanted to renegotiate. The parties decided to annex the deal to the DDPD.

(ST)