African Unification Front
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April, 2005
African Parliament Demands that Sudan Disarm the Janjaweed
The African Parliament has criticised the Sudanese state government for its role in the Darfur Crisis, and has told Khartoum to "immediately" disarm the Janjaweed rebels blamed for undermining peace agreements there.
Africa's legislative body made the demands to Khartoum after its fact-finding mission tabled its long-awaited 37-page report for debate, prompting angry response from several MPs.
A demand was made to immediately disarm the Arab militia, which MPs argued was not party to the ceasefire agreement.
Below: Janjaweed Militia
In its report, the seven-member mission, headed by MP Adbul Katuntu, expressed concerns at the repeated violations of ceasefire agreements, stalled Abuja peace talks and the growing humanitarian crisis in the region. It called on PAP to engage all parties to halt the two-year violent outbreak in Darfur.
The report, also traced the conflict's root causes to British colonial rule that created inequalities and pockets of homelands. It also recommended the expansion of military deployment to "include the protection of the population in Darfur", the creation of a joint commission mentioned in the ceasefire agreement, as well as an independent PAP oversight commission that would receive and act on complaints of ceasefire violation.
The report painted a picture of a distressed population besieged by fear and distrust of authority, of displaced people living under "inhumane conditions". It called on PAP to establish a trust fund for humanitarian assistance to those affected by the conflict.
On governance issues, the PAP committee recommended the convening of a national conference on peace, democratic governance and development in Sudan with a view to producing a strategic document on wealth and power sharing amongst regions.
The team's findings were welcomed by all the members of the Pan African Parliament. The debate aroused much emotion, with the house divided on who to blame but agreeing to working with other AU organs to find lasting peace in the African Union's largest state.
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