North Darfur Wali: ‘Drugs epidemic a disaster for Sudan society’

North Darfur Wali (governor), Nimir Abdelrahman, has voiced his concerns over the region’s deteriorating security situation, following a regular meeting held in Kabkabiya with the directors of the state’s 18 localities on Wednesday. In an interview with Radio Dabanga, the Darfur governor said that “the insecurity and spread of narcotics has become a threat to the people of the state” and required a “concerted effort to combat these phenomena”.

The state-wide meeting put forward a decision to increase the police presence in each locality, and to retrain police personnel to help “maintain the security and the rule of law”. Additionally, the 18 locality heads in North Darfur hoped to establish special native administration* courts and a juvenile court specifically for minors.

Abdelrahman stressed that the drug use epidemic in North Darfur was ‘frightening’ and went on to state that it has become a “threat to generations, and a disaster for Sudanese society”.

He called on the federal government to support the government of North Darfur, saying that “campaigns were being conducted to disarm [the public in] the region, as well as collecting and destroying motorcycles”, which he branded an integral element for crime and banditry throughout the state.

Abdelrahman pointed to a state-wide joint military taskforce to lead this campaign, saying that they are scheduled to be deployed during the month ahead, so they can “disarm civilians, restore security and stability to Darfur, and protect the people”.

Teachers

The North Darfur Wali also called on the federal government to expedite a solution for the teachers’ issues, and to respond to their demands so that studies could resume.

“We stand behind the teachers’ rights, and we hope that the federal government will respond to their demands so that studies can resume,” he said.

The governor said that great challenges facing the state regarding education, including the new system of the middle school, and the school environment.

*The Native Administration was instituted by British colonial authorities seeking a pragmatic system of governance that allowed for effective control with limited investment and oversight by the state. Community leaders, appointed by the state as native administration leaders, also took on new responsibilities for executing policies such as collecting taxes and mobilising labour on behalf of the central government. According to the Darfur Bar Association, the Native Administration during the rule of dictator Al Bashir (1989-2019) did not represent the real local leaders: “It was only a tool used by ousted President Omar Al Bashir until his last days in power to prevent the escalation of the uprising.”