UNAMID: Government, rebel movements to meet in Darfur

Head of African Union-UN Mission to Darfur (UNAMID) Mohammad Ibn Chambas announced Monday preparations for a joint meeting between the government and rebel movements, which did not agree on Doha Document for Peace in Darfur.
Ibn Chambas said in a press conference that the meeting would discuss the ways of tackling both human and security situations in Darfur and discussing the possibility of bridging the gap between parties in order to achieve a comprehensive settlement to conflict in Darfur.
About 380,000 people were displaced since the beginning of this year due to disputes between clans, and such disputes become major factors that threaten safety and security of citizens and relief acts in Darfur, he added.
He stressed that armed clashes between the government and rebels in Darfur decreased, saying that there is a broad consensus for national dialogue suggested by President Omar Al-Bashir as it could be an opportunity to solve Darfur's crisis and other crises in Sudan.
He renewed his call for benefiting from the suggested national dialogue, urging the government to make all necessary security preparations to ensure the participation of those movements.
He said that the suggested national dialogue is an initiative which should be supported and participated by all Sudanese citizens to start a new phase.
Al-Bashir had called for holding a comprehensive national dialogue in the beginning of this year to tackle all problems nationwide, including current conflict in Darfur since 2003.
A number of main rebel movements in Darfur still reject joining the Doha's Document for Peace in Darfur issued in 2006 under the pretext of the document doesn't meet their demands.