[…] in the build up to Mandate Darfur (the civil society conference organized for early this year, but canceled at the last minute after the GOS obstructed the travel of civil society representatives). It seemed odd by contrast […]
[…] extraordinary) Darfuris – who need to be at the helm of Darfur’s future. That is what Mandate Darfur was about. The day its forced cancellation was announced I was furious, frustrated and most of all, […]
Interviewing Vice President Riek Machar while covering the South Sudan referendum for The Washington Post
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GOS interference forces Mandate Darfur to cancel
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has canceled it’s much-anticipated Mandate Darfur conference, scheduled to start in Addis next week. They posted the notice on their website moments ago.
I’m almost too angry to respond. I can’t tell you how many Darfuris and Darfur advocates have been talking with excitement about the fact this conference was happening – – this promising civil society initiative for peace in Darfur. It is brave, responsible, and no doubt very difficult to have made the call to cancel at this late date.
My hope is that the broad coalition of delegates who they have attracted in advance of the conference will rally together a justified outcry against Khartoum’s attempt to thwart the conference, and ensure that the initiative goes forward in the future. . .
On behalf of Mandate Darfur, the Board of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation issued the following statement:
“After many months of working with Darfurian civil society to build a mandate for peace, we regret to acknowledge that the Sudanese government is obstructing the safe passage of Darfurian delegates from Sudan , forcing us to cancel the conference.”
“The Mandate Darfur conference was to be a coming together of genuine representatives of Darfur from across all geographic, ethnic, religious and political backgrounds, including traditional and young leaders and a strong contingent of Darfurian women.”
“From the beginning of this process when we were approached by a group of Darfurian civil society leaders, we have endeavoured to engage with the Sudanese government, the armed movements, a broad cross-section of civil society and the international community to build an unprecedented coalition of support for this initiative. This support includes the African Union, the Arab League, the United Nations, the European Union and a wide spectrum of former African leaders.”
“We believe that their coming together will help to find a way forward in the peace process. There is no element of this conference that could or should have been perceived as acting against the interests of the Sudanese government.”
“Despite numerous attempts at engagement with the Sudanese government, including sending a delegation to Khartoum and inviting senior figures to address the conference, we were greatly disappointed that Sudanese security services harassed our delegates, confiscated passports and threatened the conference coordinators in Sudan. Ultimately, the government has refused to grant exit visas to the delegates making it impossible for the conference to proceed.”
“We are saddened and disappointed that the government of Sudan did not take advantage of this opportunity to forward the cause for peace and allow civil society to engage constructively. Such engagement is vital for sustainable peace in the region and is specifically called for by the UN Security Council resolution (1828) 2008.”
“We will continue to stand with Darfurian civil society as they attempt to forge a peaceful future for their country and trust that the international community will remain committed to ensuring that the voices of the Darfurian people are heard.”