Development projects ‘have little impact on eastern Sudan’

A prominent leader in Eastern Sudan, Abdallah Musa, has fiercely criticised the East Reconstruction Fund, saying that its projects have had little impact on the lives of people in Eastern states during the past ten years.

He told Radio Dabanga that “the eastern states have abandoned the implementation of their own development projects and entrusted them to the East Reconstruction Fund which has donated huge amounts of money to the implementation of the Aatbra Sitiet Dam.

He said this was considered an explicit violation of the East Agreement which stipulated that the Fund should not be involved in major development projects such as dams, electricity, and state development projects.

Musa downplayed the importance of the projects implemented by the Fund during the past years, and explained that they have not succeeded in the drilling of wells, the restoration of public facilities and the maintenance of schools and pointed out to the failure to implement serious projects in the education and health fields.

Schools and health facilities closed

He criticised the fund for the implementation of educational and health projects without ensuring the provision of their operational budget from the state government.

Musa pointed out that a number of schools and health facilities have been closed for lack of operational funding.

Also he explained that the government has not fulfilled its financial obligations to the Fund.

He asked about the fate of the funding of the $4 billion pledged during donor’s conference in Kuwait in 2010.

Last Monday the director of the East Fund, Abu Obeida Duj, reported to the Council of States that the total of 1,000 projects implemented and are being implemented in the states of the East since 2008.

He pointed out that it included the axes of water, health, education, promotion of the economy, roads and electricity.