The Justice and Equality Movement Sudan (JEM-Sudan) says that more than a thousand of its troops are ready to join the Sudanese army and other security branches.

JEM-Sudan signed the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur in 2012, after breaking away from the original JEM, an Islamist rebel group. The group is also known as JEM-Bashar, referring to its late leader, Mohamed Bashar.

The main faction of JEM, headed by the brother of the movement’s slain founder Khalil Ibrahim, continues fighting the Sudanese government in the Kordofan and Darfur regions.

The JEM-Sudan faction announced last week that that three battalions of 1,250 soldiers are stationed at Golo area, west of El Fasher, in North Darfur. They are awaiting integration into the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), police, and other security forces.

Bakhit Abdallah Abdel Karim (known as Dabajo), the head of JEM-Sudan, traveled to Khartoum to consult Sudan's First Vice-President Bakri Hassan Saleh about the difficulties facing the implementation integration of the former rebel forces into the Sudanese government units.

The spokesman for the JEM-Sudan, Sadig Yousif Zakaria, told Radio Dabanga that this batch of soldiers has been awaiting their implementation for a month now: “There are difficulties facing the implementation, such as logistic, non-military support, and non-preparation of their camps.”

Sadig called for government to adhere to Doha Document for Peace in Darfur and integrate the former rebel troops into its ranks.

Reporting by Radio Dabanga

File photo: A gathering of JEM fighters, before the breakaway of JEM-Bashar in 2012.