Swiss mediators to share Sudan peace gains with government, MILF

Swiss-based mediators involved in Sudan’s peace process are due to arrive in the country tomorrow to discuss the stalled peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The delegation from the Geneva-based Center for Humanitarian Dialogue will meet with Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Avelino Razon Jr. before traveling to Mindanao to meet with MILF leaders.

“The Center is lucky enough to be able to share experiences from where it has been involved in other regions in conflict,” David Gorman, mediation adviser with the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, said in a statement.

Peace talks with the MILF have been at a standstill since August when the Supreme Court threw out an agreement on ancestral domain between the government and the MILF.

Breakaway MILF commanders then went on a rampage in western and central Mindanao, killing dozens of civilians, burning villages and forcing an estimated 500,000 people to flee their homes.

The Center for Humanitarian Dialogue was previously involved with the peace process in southern Sudan, which Gorman said had parallels with Mindanao.

Gorman said the group is composed of Nyasha Masiwa, adviser to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement; Ahmed Sabiel, adviser to the government of Sudan; and Kelvin Ong, adviser to the United Nations.

Gorman said the group will proceed to the cities of Davao and Cagayan de Oro and Camp Darapanan near Cotabato City to meet with civil society groups and MILF officials on Monday.

“Importantly, there are many parallels between the two regions such as the proliferation of arms and armed militias and in the negotiation processes such as self-determination, disposition of forces, plebiscites and the equitable distribution of resources,” Gorman said.

“This should make for very interesting and we hope constructive exchanges with the government and the MILF, especially as those two parties prepare to restart talks,” he added.

Gorman said the conflict between north and south Sudan began in 1982 when the primarily Christian south launched an insurgency against the Arab north.

He said it was considered the largest single conflict since World War II and resulted in the deaths of four million Sudanese civilians. 

“The 2005 series of settlements, often referred to as the Naivasha and Machakos Accords, resulted in far reaching autonomy for the south, a sharing of resources and disposition of military forces,” Gorman said.

In January, a British delegation led by Jonathan Powell and Gerry Kelly, former negotiators in the Northern Ireland peace process, visited Mindanao and met with officials from the government and MILF to discuss the peace efforts.    – Jose Rodel Clapano