Sudan Committed to Full Implementation of Document for peace in Darfur

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released by the Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan:

The report by UNAMID negates the assertions made in the statement released by the U.S. State Department with regards to the security in Darfur. Since the signing of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), which established the Regional Authority under the chairmanship of Dr. Tijani al-Sissi, there has been a tremendous progress in establishing security. As recently noted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, residents have started to return to their villages voluntarily and without any international assistance.

In fact the signing of the DDPD made things quite difficult for the non-signatory rebel movements in Darfur as it ensured that the support they traditionally received from neighboring countries was no longer forthcoming, a development that caused enough desperation that they began targeting remote villages and international peacekeeping troops to compensate for this loss. In light of this well known fact the allegations made in the said statement are simply misleading. Even more troubling and quite typical is the insinuation that the government is somehow killing the very people it's protecting.

Furthermore fears about the non-implementation of the DDPD on the part of the Government of Sudan misguided. The international community, which includes the United States, has from the beginning witnessed the government's eagerness and resolve to peacefully reach a deal with the Darfur rebel groups. The fact that the government attended every peace initiative that was proposed, whether indigenously, regionally, or internationally, demonstrates its determined pursuit of peace. There should be no questions therefore about our commitment to the document's full implementation. By making these unsubstantiated and false accusations, the U.S. is clearly sending a negative signal that will only embolden the rebels, thereby making peace in the region all the more elusive. The United States should instead encourage those who did not join the agreement to take part in the current peace building efforts, as in fact was the pledge made by the international community at the signing of the agreement.

Embassy of Sudan Press and Information Office, phone: +1-202-338-8565, or fax: +1-202-667-2406

SOURCE Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan