East Darfur citizens threaten to block opening new oilfield Sudan

Inhabitants of East Darfur have threatened to block the opening of a new oil well at the border of the East Darfur state and North Kordofan.Citizens in Adila, a village in East Darfur, held a demonstration on Monday 24 December and handed over a petition to the local commissioner. They protest the presence of the governor of North Kordofan during the opening ceremony on the January 1, the Independence Day of Sudan.According to the Dafurians, the governor of North Kordofan, Mutasim Merghani Sakidin, has no right to claim the new oilfield Surga Ummhadit as part of North Kordofan.Wednesday 26 December a delegation from the central government in Khartoum will come over to discuss the situation. In a memorandum the residents presented to the commissioner of Adila and the security organs, the Adila-people gave 72 hours to the central government to announce the oilfield as being part of East Darfur.If it ails, the residents threaten to disturb the work in the oilfield just 50 kilometres North East of Adila village. The deputy governor of East Darfur and the Minister of Agriculture of east Darfur, Mastur Ahmed Abdelmagid, addressed the demonstration on Monday in Adila.He also emphasized that his administration will not allow opening the oilfield unless the government has decided on the administrative ruling of the area.