Resolution on Darfur

The NGO Forum meeting on November 10-12 2007, in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo,

Taking into account the ongoing peace negotiations on Darfur;

Concerned by the limited participation of rebel groups in the recent peace negotiations and by the fact that a number of representatives of the civil society have been prevented from taking part in the peace negotiations;

Deeply concerned by the grave human rights and humanitarian violations perpetrated in Darfur, the renewed violence and the attacks carried out by both Government forces and the rebels which have caused further loss of life and displacement of civilian population;

Gravely concerned by the recent deadly attacks against the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) and physical and sexual attacks against humanitarian aid workers;

Concerned by the lack of accountability for the grave crimes committed in Darfur and Sudan’s decision to appoint, as the chairperson of a committee to investigate human right violations in Darfur, a suspected war criminals for whom an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC);

Concerned by the the destabilizing effect of the Darfur conflict in the neighbouring region, namely Eastern Chad and North East of the Central African Republic;

The NGO Forum requests the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to adopt a Resolution:

1. Demanding the Government of Sudan to immediately cease attacks against the civilian population;

2. Demanding all parties to the conflict to immediately cease all attacks on humanitarian aid workers;

3. Requesting all parties to the conflict to commit to and respect an effective ceasefire and join the current peace negotiations;

4. Recommending the participation in the peace negotiations of the different sections of civil society including, IDPs, refugees and community representatives;

5. Recommending all Member States and the Government of Sudan to support the mandate and implement the recommendations of existing human rights mechanisms notably the UN Group of Experts on Darfur;

6. Recommending the international community to fully support the immediate deployment of the United Nations hybrid force and the multidimensional protection force in the North East of the Central African Republic and in Eastern Chad;

7. Requesting peace mediators to bring pressure to bear on the parties to the negotiations to include the fight against impunity and cooperation with the International Criminal Court in the Peace Agreement;

8. Demanding the Sudan Government to immediately transfer the suspected war criminals for whom arrest warrants were issued by the International Criminal Court.

Done in Brazzaville, November 12th, 2007