DRA postpones Nyala conference

The Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) has postponed the displaced and refugee conference initially scheduled for this month in Nyala, North Darfur, Radio Dabanga was informed on Tuesday November 6. The next date for the conference, postponed due to the spread of yellow fever in some parts of Darfur, is still unknown, Azhari Shatta, voluntary return, resettlement and compensation commissioner for the DRA told Radio Dabanga in an interview. The conference, originally scheduled to take place between November 11 and 16, had already been postponed to November 20. Shatta pointed out that the postponement was due to the clashing dates with a conference of the Islamic Movement in Khartoum, which most ministers and officials were also planning to attend.  Vaccines not available According to Shatta, it will take some time before the yellow fever is contained in Darfur, as the vaccine against it is not available in Sudan and it could take more than two weeks before it arrives. He said that the commission decided to postpone the conference after assessing the situation in the region, as it seemed to conflict with the ongoing efforts of the state in containing the spread of the disease in Darfur. He emphasized that the new date for the conference will not be announced until authorities assert that the disease is completely under control.   Minimal response The commissioner strongly denied that the reason for postponing the conference is related to the minimal response it got from the displaced and to the non-compliance of the government. In addition, he asserted that workshops in the five states of Darfur and meetings with representatives of parties involved in the conference were well received, which proves this claim wrong. However, Shatta does not deny the presence of “a cacophony of voices” with unclear motives opposing the conference, but stated the commission does not pay attention to this.