MP demands rule of law restored in North Darfur

In a session of the Sudanese parliament on Monday, Mohamed Ahmed Minawi Digeish, independent MP for Karnoi and Um Baru, requested the Interior and Justice Ministries restore the rule of law, re-establish police stations and prosecution offices in both localities. He also demanded army forces be sent to the area to protect the civilians against the ongoing militia attacks.

Digeish’s demands follow reports that the police in El Fasher, North Darfur, refuse to handle complaints about militia attacks in Kutum and Um Baru, saying that it does not fall within their jurisdiction. In both localities, security authorities are absent.

The Minister of Interior Affairs, Lt. Gen. Izmat Abdelrahman, acknowledged the existence of hundreds of thousands of displaced in the five Darfur states to the parliament.

He admitted that the “military operations” in the area have driven people in East Jebel Marra and other parts of North Darfur to seek refuge at the “safe site” near the Unamid base in Um Baru. A new camp is to be set up at the site.

The Interior Minister said that he directed a police force be dispatched to “immediately secure the camp”. He stressed that the police are responsible for providing security outside the camp, while the safety of the displaced within the camp is to be safeguarded by Unamid.

The Ministry is facing a number of challenges in the coming period, he explained, pointing to the general elections scheduled for April, the spread of weapons, and rampant insecurity in the war-torn regions of Darfur, the Blue Nile, and South Kordofan.

Justice Minister Mohamed Bushara Dosa responded to Digeish that every affected citizen has the right to file a complaint. “Nothing should prevent the police from accepting complaints, be it in El Fasher, or in any other place.”

The MP furthermore requested from Dosa to direct the competent authorities in North Darfur state to record the damages suffered by the affected.