Assembly/AU/3(XIV)
Page 11
strong view that the Darfur crisis can only be settled as part of an overall resolution of
the Sudanese national crisis.
41.
The Panel made a number of recommendations. As a starting point, it
stressed that the problem of Darfur requires a political settlement and a process of
negotiations that addresses all the issues of peace, justice and reconciliation, and
that the Darfur negotiations should be inclusive, with the participation of the armed
belligerents, but also all other stakeholders. One key component of the AUPD
Recommendations relates to measures to ensure that justice is done. In that regard,
the Panel recommended the establishment of a Hybrid Court to try those who
assume the greatest responsibility for the crimes in Darfur. The Panel also made a
number of recommendations on reconciliation, proposing, among others, the
establishment of a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission, to promote truth
telling and appropriate acts of reconciliation, as well as to grant pardons as
considered suitable. The Panel is of the view that many of its Recommendations can
be implemented by the Sudan Government on a unilateral basis: these are both
confidence-building measures and steps to facilitate the holding of the elections and
the acceleration of the peace process.
42.
At its meeting in Abuja, the PSC endorsed the Report and the
Recommendations contained therein, and underlined that the latter provide a clear
roadmap for achieving peace, reconciliation, justice and healing in Darfur, thus
contributing to sustainable peace and stability in the Sudan as a whole. It requested
the Chairperson of the Commission to establish an AU High Level Implementation
Panel (AUHIP), comprising of former Presidents Thabo Mbeki, Pierre Buyoya and
Abdulsalami Abubakar, to assist in the implementation of all aspects of the AUPD
Recommendations, as well as in the implementation of the CPA and other related
processes.
43.
The AUHIP held its inaugural meeting in Addis Ababa, from 2 to 3 December
2009, to develop its program of work. Subsequently, the Panel travelled to Sudan,
where it undertook extensive consultations with the Sudan Government and a range
of other stakeholders. Furthemore, on 21 December 2009, the Chairperson of the
Commission led a delegation comprising the Commissioner for Peace and Security
and two of the AUHIP members, namely President Mbeki and Pierre Buyoya, to brief
the UN Security Council. In the press statement issued at the end of the meeting, the
members of the Security Council welcomed the report, underlined their appreciation
for the balanced and comprehensive nature of the recommendations to promote
peace, justice and reconciliation in Darfur and Sudan as a whole, and called for the
Government of Sudan and other parties in Sudan and the region to work with
President Thabo Mbeki and his colleagues, in coordination with the international
community as appropriate. At the time of finalizing this report, steps were underway
for the implementation of a set of activities in line with the Recommendations of the
AUPD.
44.
During the period under review, the Commission continued to monitor and
support the efforts of the AU/UN Joint Mediation led by Mr. Djibril Bassolé. It is to be
recalled that, since the beginning of the peace talks in Abuja, the Mediation has been
focusing on meetings between the armed parties. A new chapter was opened with
the launching of the civil society consultations in Doha in November 2009. On that
occasion, the Chairperson of the Commission proceeded to Doha to lend his support