A ROADMAP to a global political agreement on Darfur was endorsed in Abuja at the weekend by the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) because the continent's team of "wise men" led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki believe it was the most realistic way out of the current crisis in South Western Sudan.

However, they also urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) "once again to heed the AU's call for the deferral of the process initiated by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir in the interest of peace, justice and reconciliation."

In the meantime, another detachment of 800 combatant soldiers from the 3rd Armoured Division in Jos, Plateau State, yesterday left for Darfur en-route Jaji before finally departing to the war-torn region.

But while the PSC reaffirmed the commitment of the continental union to combat impunity, in line with the relevant provisions of the AU Constitutive Act, it had at the end of the summit similarly backed the decisions of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) against Niger and Guinea.

The situation room of the AU in Addis Ababa said in an e-mail released at the weekend that in the suspension of hostilities agreement, the parties (to the Darfur dispute) would retain their weapons and armed units, continue to hold the positions they occupied at the beginning of the negotiations, take no action to change the military facts on the ground, such as re-arming, recruiting or repositioning military units as well as avoid hostile propaganda.

"This remains the realistic way out. The AU is determined to find a lasting solution to the Darfur problem. It is an African problem. The commission fully supports the AUPD report and would make the necessary compromises and achieve peace in the end," it said.

The roadmap to a global agreement contained in paragraphs 297-320 of the Mbeki report of the AU High-Level Panel on Darfur (AUPD) embodies the suspension of hostilities agreement, including the submission of all the parties to the conflict in Darfur to "unconditional verification" by the United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

The roadmap provides, among others, that:


Government of Sudan (GoS) and the armed movements should negotiate and agree to a suspension of hostilities agreement/truce to be supported by unilateral measures undertaken in good faith and aimed at reducing violence in Darfur while the process of negotiations are underway;

adoption of a frame-work agreement involving the GoS, the armed movements, political paties, civil society organisations, IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) and refugees, the native administrations and the nomads of Darfur; and

negotiation of a permanent ceasefire, including an agreement on comprehensive security arrangement by the GoS and the armed movement which takes into account all the sources of violence and insecurity in Darfur.
The statement by the PSC commissioner, Ramtane Lamamra, noted, among others, that: "As requested, all member-states and development partners are to fully support the implementation of the recommendations of the AUPD and the implementation of the decisions taken in Abuja."

Earlier in Abuja, Lamamra who was with Mbeki, the chairperson of the AU Commission, Jean Ping, former Nigerian Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and the ECOWAS Commission President Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, had spoken on the Darfur crisis.

He explained why the continental body asked Ping to establish an AU High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), comprising Mbeki, Abubakar and Pierre Buyoya (former president of Burundi) to assist in the implementation of all aspects of the AUPD recommendations.

The body is also to assist the Sudanese parties in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and other related processes as part of the democratic transformation of Sudan.

The AUHIP will have an initial mandate of one year. The recommendations of the Abuja PSC are expected to fall through before the holding of general elections in Sudan by April 2010.

The AUPD was set up by the AU in July last year comprising seven prominent Africans. It was tasked with the modus of tackling the Darfur crisis in a comprehensive manner and move away from the hitherto "forum shopping" approach.

The PSC is the highest organ of the AU made up of representatives from the five regional groupings of the union. Members of the council include Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Gabon, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Swaziland, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia.

Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Central African Republic, Kenya, representatives of the five permanent members of the UNSC, European Union (EU) Secretary-General, Mr. Javier Solana and Development Commissioner, Mr. Gunilla, as well as Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary-General, Professor Ekmeledin Ihsanoglu, were also in Abuja.

According to the General Officer Commanding (GOC) the Division, Maj.-Gen. Saleh Maina, the soldiers had undergone medical and physical tests and found to be fit for the Darfur operations.

He disclosed that 26 of them are female. According to him, the soldiers are going to replace their Nigerian counterparts in Darfur from the 81 Division in Lagos who had already completed their six months duty.