Darfur hijack plans to be shared with UN humanitarian agencies

Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dateline: Nairobi, Kenya
Friday, 2 October 2009
Darfur hijack plans to be shared
with UN humanitarian agencies

The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), one of Darfur's largest rebel movements, agreed to share their plans on dealing with the hijacking of humanitarian conveys with UN experts at two-day meeting in Nairobi, Kenya on 30 September and 1 October 2009.

The meeting, organised by the Geneva based mediation organisation, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre), with the support of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), focussed on safe humanitarian access, the hijacking of vehicles belonging to humanitarian agencies, the protection of civilians, women and children, IDP rights and possible future mechanisms for addressing similar issues in the future.

The 10 member JEM delegation, led by their Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr Souleymane Mahamat Djamous also agreed to more regular and frequent communications with UN agencies, represented at the meeting by experts from OCHA, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the African Union - United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

All parties agreed that the HD Centre would act as the neutral facilitator and channel between the meeting participants to ensure the implementation of what was agreed and establish a humanitarian mechanism between JEM and the international organizations. 

Dennis McNamara, leading the HD Centre's Humanitarian Mediation Programme said:

"This was a very positive meeting with JEM and the specialised UN humanitarian agencies on some of the key issues faced by the people of Darfur today. We look forward to following up on the constructive proposals which emerged and to having similar discussions with the Government of Sudan and other opposition movements in Darfur."

The meeting also resulted in a number of encouraging steps including the following:

An exchange of contacts from both sides to facilitate follow-up and the setting up of focal points to address immediate and specific issues. Detailed expressions of JEM concerns regarding the situation in Chad refugee camps. An agreement that UN humanitarian agencies, with the support of the HD Centre, will prepare for the JEM principles and basic guidelines on the return and resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The decision to conduct a workshop with JEM field commanders on humanitarian principles including, treatment of prisoners and civilians, as soon as possible. An agreement that the JEM would provide the HD Centre with a concrete proposal for them to facilitate training with the diaspora on humanitarian principles.

All participants expressed appreciation to the Government of Kenya and other donor governments for their support to the meeting.

***ENDS***

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The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue is an independent organisation dedicated to improving the global response to armed conflict. It mediates directly between belligerents and helps others to do the same. The HD Centre is active in approximately 15 conflicts around the world, some of which are necessarily confidential.