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JEM Backs Out of Doha Talks

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JEM Backs Out of Doha Talks

Posted by Enough Team on March 20, 2009

The Justice and Equality movement, or JEM, the most significant rebel group in Darfur, announced today that it has decided to halt nascent peace talks with the Sudanese government until it allows aid agencies back into Darfur. According to JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim:

The movement cannot negotiate with the government of (Sudanese President Omar Hassan) al-Bashir.  

As Enough noted last month following the signing of a “good will” and “confidence-building” agreement in Doha between the JEM rebels and Khartoum, the Doha negotiations are a modest step forward that would need to be backed by more vigorous negotiations that include not only Khartoum and Darfur’s rebel actors, but also strong representation from Darfur’s civil society (read: representatives from Darfur’s displaced, women, and youth populations must get a seat at the table).