Salva Kiir and al-Mirghani to mediate with Darfur rebels

Salva Kiir and al-Mirghani to mediate with Darfur rebels

Tuesday 17 October 2006.

Oct 16, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — The first Vice President Salva Kiir Mayadrit and the Chairperson of the National Democratic Alliance Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani will lead a Sudanese initiative hold a new round of talks with Darfur hold rebels in Asmara.


Sudanese National Democratic Alliance ( NDA) chairman Mohammed Osman Mirghani, left, and John Garang, leader of Sudan’s People’s Liberation Army, right, wave to their supporters before signing the Sudanese reconciliation accord in Cairo between the Sudanese government and the National Democratic Alliance, an umbrella opposition grouping, Saturday, June 18, 2005. (AP).Salva Kiir Mayadrit and Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani will engage consultations with the Darfur rebels groups opposed to the Darfur Peace Agreement in coordination with of the Eritrean government.

According to Khartoum based Alray al-Aam, the Eritrean government started already contacts with the rebels and they okayed the initiative.

Chairperson of organizational affairs in the ruling People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), Abdallah Jabir told the paper that two of the leaders of the National redemption Front: Ahmed Ibrahim Diraig and Sharif Harir, besides leaders of two factions of the SLM: Ahmed Abdelshafi Bassey and Abdelwahid al-Nur, agreed to hold talks with Sudanese government to join Abuja agreement.

The head of SPLM parliamentary group, Yasir Arman said in Khartoum after a meeting with the SPLM chairman that it was agreed after a meeting with the Eritrean president that Salva Kiir will supervise joint Eritrean Sudanese efforts to hold the second Darfur conference in Asmara.

It seems that the ruling National Congress Party, who conceded a large role to the SPLM and the Eritrean Government in the Eastern Sudan talks, has realised the effectiveness of its partners in the government of national unity : SPLM and al-Mirghani, in the eastern Sudan negotiations.

The Sudanese top negotiator Mustafa Osman Islam confessed in an interview published by the pan-Arab al-Saharq Alawsat Monday that the SPLM delegation and Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani played a key role in the success of Asmara talks.

The SLM is a member of the NDA as well as the Eastern Front; all of the NDA forces were based in Eritrea before the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005.

The NDA is a large coalition between the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of al-Mirghani, the SPLM, the Sudanese communist Party (SCP), Eastern Front, the Darfur Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), professional unions and former military leadership.

The chairperson of the NDA wants to end Darfur conflict and reactivate the large coalition to reconstitute a third political force to face both the NCP and the opposition front of Umma and the Popular Congress of Hassan al-Turabi.

Head of the African Union team for implementation of Darfur peace agreement (DPA), Ambassador Sam Ibok, said Sunday that there is Sudanese efforts led by the First Vice-President and President of South Sudan Government, Salva Kiir, to convince the non-signatories to join the peace deal.

(ST)