Gambari tasks Int’l partners on Darfur peace mission
Canada’s help could be critical in assisting the development of a “new roadmap” for the Darfur peace process, the head of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur, Joint Special Representative Ibrahim Gambari, said in talks with senior Canadian Government officials during a three-day visit to Ottawa. “Canada has played an important and substantial role […]
Canada’s help could be critical in assisting the development of a “new roadmap” for the Darfur peace process, the head of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur, Joint Special Representative Ibrahim Gambari, said in talks with senior Canadian Government officials during a three-day visit to Ottawa.
“Canada has played an important and substantial role in the development of a comprehensive peace in Darfur,” Gambari told Margaret Biggs, president of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in a meeting Wednesday. We now have a unique opportunity for a new beginning, an enduring peace and a way forward towards a better future for all Darfuris.”
Gambari also briefed the president of the International Development Research Center (IDRC), David Malone, and officials at the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense on developments in the Darfur peace process following the signing of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) between the Government of Sudan and one of its armed opponents, the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) on 14 July 2011.
“The Doha Darfur Peace Document can best be described as a work in progress which forms the basis for reaching a comprehensive agreement that would hopefully address the root causes of the Darfur conflict.
It would require the support of all international partners engaged in the process, particularly to encourage other hold out movements, such as SLA-Abdul Wahid and SLA-Minni Minawi to engage in negotiations rather than uniting with the SPLM-North for war against the Government.”
Canada has been a major backer of peacekeeping efforts in Darfur and in particular of the two-year peace process among the parties to the Darfur conflict in Doha, Qatar. In addition to leading UNAMID, the AU-UN peacekeeping mission, JSR Gambari is also the interim Chief Joint Mediator in the Darfur peace talks.
Canada co-chairs with the United States the “Friends of UNAMID” group, and has provided training for African countries deploying civilian police, military and formed police units to UNAMID, as well as providing armored vehicles for the AU-UN peacekeeping mission.