Darfur Regional Authority: accord with UN on Sudan refugees

The minister of technology, development and capacity-building of the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) claims reaching an accord with UN agencies about the institution’s access to Sudanese refugees in Chad. Minister Osman Ahmed Fadul Wash told the Sudan News Agency (SUNA) he met on Tuesday in El-Fasher, North Darfur, with representatives of the UNHCR and UNAMID. In the meeting they discussed ways in which DRA could enable refugees’ return to Sudan and ensure their participation in a displaced/refugee conference to be held in Nyala, South Darfur, shortly. Both UN agencies declared their willingness to “fully facilitate” DRA’s task in reaching out to all Sudanese living in eastern Chad, the minister was quoted as saying. He also said that a committee representing DRA and native administrators of Darfur is expected to visit Chad soon to assess the conditions of the refugees and indentify the problems they face. However, an anonymous source pointed to Radio Dabanga that Sudanese refugees reject the Nyala Conference, part of the process of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur, which the refugees also reject. In addition, they refuse to return to Sudan before several conditions are met, the source continued. They include the full restoration of security in Darfur, disarmament of militias and the restoration (Hawakir) and removal of new settlers from their home villages. Other conditions comprise a comprehensive peace agreement involving all parties of the conflicts in Sudan, perpetrators being brought to the International Criminal Court in The Hague and victims receiving individual and collective compensations.