US officials meet Darfur Bar Association

The official from the office of the US envoy in Washington, Ms. Kimi Yai and two employees from the US Embassy in Khartoum, visited the headquarters of the Darfur Bar Association in Khartoum at Al-Amarat area.

The Darfur Bar Association noted in a statement today, Friday, that Ms. Yai affirmed, during the visit, the continuation of the US’s efforts to achieve peace in Sudan, and to enhance its stability.

She also welcomed the start of the Sudan Institute for Democracy, in cooperation with the Darfur Bar Association and its partners, and Columbia University, the establishment of an academy for transitional justice in Darfur to achieve Justice.

She called for the need for the activities of the Transitional Justice Academy in Darfur to be included in the provisions of the Juba Peace Agreement t, stressing that the people of Darfur should “not stop at the stance of an absolute rejection and non-recognition of the other”.

Meanwhile, the delegation of the Strategic Committee, which was formed by the Governor of the Darfur Region, Minni Arko Minawi, has visited the Darfur Bar Association at its headquarters in Khartoum, while the Association has welcomed the governor’s visit and his concern to communicate with all the Darfurian components, and its civil society organizations to deliberate over all the regions issues.

In the meeting, has valued the governor’s initiative, and at the same time stressed it is a supervisory body whose limits of cooperation are limited to the work of monitoring the state and does not participate in the executive bodies.

It also reiterated its adherence to its view that the constitutional document and the resulting amendment are imperfect, and that it is not suitable in its current state in proper constitutional foundation.

The Darfur Bar Association has valued the governor’s initiative, stressing in the same time its supervisory role, reiterating its adherence to its view that the constitutional document and the resulting amendments are imperfect.

The association has affirmed readiness to cooperate in the case of handing over those wanted for crimes committed in Darfur, especially the ousted leader, to the International Criminal Court without any delay, and in the issues of protection, justice and means of achieving safe voluntary return for the displaced and refugees to their areas of origin, and the issues mentioned about transitional justice in the Juba Peace Agreement.

The association also indicated its full cooperation in the issues of phenomenon of spread of arms in Darfur, disarmament measures, legalization of arms bearing by authorized authorities only, and its control.

It is worth noting that the Sudan Institute for Democracy and its partners has started the establishment of the Sudan Democracy Academy in Nyala to provide the necessary aids that would enable local communities to develop a model that suits the conditions and problems of Darfur in transitional justice