Rwanda’s permanent representative at the United Nation has called for political solution as a way of mitigating conflict that has rocked the Darfur region of Sudan for a decade. Ambassador Eugene-Richard Gasana, also the state (pictured) made the remarks on Wednesday during the UN Security Council briefing on Sudan and International Criminal Court (ICC). The Darfur conflict started in 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing the black population in favour of Arabs. “Rwanda strongly condemns continued fighting between the government of Sudan and armed groups, as well as inter-communal fighting. We remain deeply concerned at continued violations of human rights in Darfur, particularly targeted attacks against civilians and sexual and gender-based violence,” said Gasana. “Rwanda believes that only a political solution, through the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), will bring peace to Darfur,” he said referring to an agreement signed in Qatar in 2011. Significant step Gasana further stated that the nomination of a Special Prosecutor in Darfur by the Government of Sudan, to investigate alleged war crimes in the region, and the establishment of branch judicial offices in the five states of Darfur, as stipulated in DDPD, was a significant step towards justice and accountability. “However, while recognising the progress, we believe that much remain to be done. We encourage the Government of Sudan, including through the Special Prosecutor, to make additional efforts towards prosecution and trial of the perpetrators of the most serious crimes in Darfur,” he said. Gasana also stated that Rwanda, as a member state of the Security Council and the major contributing country of troops and police to UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), will continue to work towards sustainable peace, genuine reconciliation and accountability for the most serious crimes in Darfur, while promoting complementarily and equal sovereignty of nations. Rwanda contributes 3,200 troops to the Mission, where Lt. Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba has just completed his tour of duty as force commander.
