Doha negotiators do not expect to meet 15 July deadline for Darfur peace

The Sudanese government and rebel delegations at Doha do not expect to meet a 15 July deadline for signing a peace agreement between the two sides. The Liberation and Justice Movement announced it was not concerned by the deadline set by the mediation for a final signing of a potential peace deal by 15 July. The spokesman of the rebel coalition’s negotiating team said that the group has not agreed to a cut-off date for signing the peace agreement, and that its sole concern presently is negotiating. In a written statement to Radio Dabanga, the LJM rebels said that they would not comply with the 15 July deadline set by the mediation.

Similarly, the government ruled out a peace agreement in Darfur by that deadline, suggesting that the mediators were focused more on involving the Justice and Equality Movement – which is boycotting the talks – rather than on the other movements. The official in charge of the Darfur file, Ghazi Salah Al Din, warned in a report to parliament on Wednesday against making a parallel platform for negotiations at an alternative location to Doha. That was what was suggested by the JEM chairman Khalil Ibrahim, who left Doha in May and has refused to return.