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Key Elements of the Darfur Peace Agreement

by Friends Committee on National Legislation, June 6, 2006

On May 5, 2006, the African Union-mediated Inter-Sudanese Peace Talks on the Conflict in Darfur concluded with an agreement in Abuja, Nigeria. The Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) was signed by representatives from the Government of Sudan and from one faction of the primary rebel group in Darfur, the Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A).

The Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) addresses four main areas: Security Arrangements, Power-Sharing, Wealth-Sharing, and a Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation (DDDC). Some key elements of the DPA include:

Security Arrangements

Requires that the Government of Sudan complete verifiable disarmament of the janjaweed militia by mid-Octboer, 2006
Includes a detailed sequencing and phasing schedule to ensure that janjaweed militia are disarmed before rebel forces assemble and prepare for disarmament and demobilization
Places Restrictions on the movements of the Sudanese Popular Defense Forces and requires their downsizing
Outlines the principles for the integration of the rebel forces into the Sudanese Armed Forces and civilian police
Prohibits the the Sudanese Armed Forces and rebel forces from entering specified areas around IDP camps and humanitarian aid supply routes
Provides that the arrangments will be monitored by the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS)

Power-Sharing

Gives the rebel signatories the fourth highest position in the Sudanese Government of National Unity, "Senior Assistant to the President". This individual will also serve as the Chairperson of the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority (TDRA) and as the senior Darfurian representative in the Government of National Unity.
Provides that the TDRA will be responsible for the implementation of the DPA in Darfur, and that for the three-year period prior to elections, the rebel movements will have chairmanship and control of the TDRA
Gives the rebel movements a substantial number of seats at both the national and local government level
A popular referendum will be held in July 2010 in which the people of Darfur will decide whether to establish Darfur as a unitary region with a single government; additionally, elections will be held at every level of government no later than July 2009

Wealth-Sharing

Creates a fund for Darfur Reconstruction and Development, to which the Government of National Unity will contribute $300 million initially, and $200 million per year for two additional years
Creates a commission to provide compensation to victims of the conflict, and provides that the Government of Sudan will contribute $30 million initially to the Compensation Fund
Establishes a commission to work with the United Nations to help internally displaced persons and refugees return to their homes
Calls for a Joint Assessment Mission to determine the development and reconstruction needs of Darfur

Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consulatation (DDDC)

Peace cannot simply be imposed from the outside. A crucial piece of the DPA is the Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consulation (DDDC), which will be a fundamental part of addressing the deep-seated roots of the conflict in Darfur. The DPA provides for the African Union to convene an all-inclusive, community-based reconciliation process in Darfur 60 days after the agreement has come into force. The DDDC will lay the groundwork for a social peace to ensure that the needs of all the many diverse peoples of Darfur are met. Indeed, according to the May Report of the UN Secretary-General on Darfur, an inclusive Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation is necessary "to give all Darfurians a sense of engagement in and commitment to the peace process, and to address the many local conflicts that cripple Darfur." The U.S. and the international community must press the Government of Sudan and the African Union to effectively implement this aspect of the DPA.

For more details on the DPA, please visit the African Union's Highlights of the Darfur Peace Agreement or the U.S. Department of State's Fact Sheet.

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