The Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States

An African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) ambassadorial mission is currently on a fact finding mission in Chad, Sudan and the Republic of Djibouti.

The mission was mandated by the ACP Committee of Ambassadors in Brussels, Belgium, under the guidance of its Chair His Excellency Mr Mohamed Moussa Chehem, Ambassador of the Republic of Djibouti.

As part of its mandate, the mission is tasked to gather information from all parties concerned in all three countries to enable an objective assessment of the different crisis situations that have been brought to the attention of the Committee of Ambassadors.

This is to allow the ambassadors to fully understand the current dynamics in the East and Central African regions concerned in order to broker peaceful settlements.

The mission is also undertaken to promote the intra-ACP political dialogue framework which it is hoped would open the way for the return of sustainable peace among the countries involved.

Chad

The mission to Chad is to gather first hand information about the attacks carried out in February and June 2008.

It will also assess the political and humanitarian repercussions of the crisis within the national and regional contexts; and seek from the Chadian government what assistance the ACP Group might provide to normalize the situation.

Sudan
In Sudan, the mission is to gather first hand information on the 10 May 2008 attack by the Justice and Equality Movement on the city of Omdurman and against the Sudanese government.

It will also assess the damage caused by the fighting that ensued and try to get a better sense of the motives behind the attack. The mission will also find out from the Sudanese government what assistance the ACP Group might provide to support peace and stability in Sudan.

Republic of Djibouti
The mission will also gather first hand information on the bloody clashes between Djiboutian and Eritrean forces in the border region of Ras Doumeira.

The ambassadors will also assess the reports that the Eritrean force is occupying Ras Doumeira; and find out from the Djboutian government what assistance the ACP Group might provide to bring about a peaceful settlement of the crisis.

The Committee of Ambassadors fact finding mission is conducted to complement the initiatives set-up by the African Union, the United Nations, Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the League of Arab States.
The mission will meet with national authorities in the three countries, representatives of political parties, civil society and media as well as representatives of ACP diplomatic missions accredited in Chad, Sudan and the Republic of Djibouti, and the EU delegations in those countries.

The mission is led by His Excellency Mr Abdou Abarry, Ambassador of Niger.
Others members of the mission are: HE Mr Victorino Nka Obiang Maye, Ambassador of Equatorial Guinea; HE Joseph Bonesha, Ambassador of Rwanada, and Mr Mahamane Aoudou Cissé, from the ACP Secretatriat.

For further details contact: iroga@acp.int