Blue Nile state governor receives UN delegation working to reduce hate speech and hostilities

Governor of Blue Nile state Gen Ahmed El Omda Badi received a UN delegation working on reducing hate speech and hostilities yesterday. He also reduced the curfew hours in the capital Ed Damazin and neighbouring El Roseires.

Governor Badi reduced the curfew hours in Ed Damazin and El Roseires yesteday. The curfew is now in place between 24:00 and 06:00. 

He also received a UN delegation yesterday that aims to collaborate on mitigating the effects of recent violent events in the region.

The meeting dealt in particular with the results of an advocacy programme against hate speech and other hostilities that took place.

During the meeting, Director General of the Blue Nile state Ministry of Social Welfare Ezzeldin Adam Suleiman said that the programme has been able to mitigate the effects of the recent crisis through advocacy programmes that were presented with the participation of scholars and imams.

He also pointed to the achievements of the Social Peace Forum in the state and expressed his appreciation for the delegation’s “great contribution to promoting stability, social peace, and peaceful coexistence in the region”.

The UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission to Sudan (UNITAMS) tweeted on Sunday that a UN delegation is indeed visiting Blue Nile state in light of the recent violence. The delegation is meeting local authorities, victims, civil society, women and youth groups “to initiate consultations with the local community on possible ways to prevent reoccurrence of the fighting and combat hate speech”.

Conflict

At least 70 people died during the intense intercommunal fighting that took place in July and more than 31,000 people were displaced by the clashes.

After the events, different parties were blamed for the violence.

The Forces for Freedom and Change-Central Council (FFC-CC) hold the ‘coup authorities’ responsible for the violence whilst the Communist Party of Sudan lay the blame on “attempts by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction led by Malik Agar (SPLM-N Agar) to seize power and disrupt the fragile peace in the region”.

Native Administration leader in Blue Nile state Abu Shotal accused state Governor Badi of ‘communicating and colluding’ with Hausa leaders in preparation for the violence.

The El Roseires Resistance Committees also referred to previous violent clashes in Blue Nile state in early 2018 and accused the current military authorities of negligence because they “chose not to act even after the first attacks”.