Sese pledges to involve Darfuris in DRA

Says it is an opportunity to ensure participation of Darfuri people in provincial matters

Tijani Sese, the newly appointed head of the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA), pledged on Thursday to hold extensive consultations with different stakeholders in Darfur regarding the region’s management.In an exclusive interview with Radio Dabanga, Sese said, that he would hold meetings with various groups on how to manage the province and its affairs.

Sese was appointed as the head of the DRA by Sudanese president Omar Al Bashir on Tuesday. The move was seen as being in line with the Darfur peace agreement signed between the government of Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) in Doha in July, earlier this year.

“I believe that there is a need to involved the people of Darfur in the administration of the province. The regional authority will also try to involved displaced people and refugees in the issues of voluntary return to their homes,” Sese, head of the LJM, told Radio Dabanga.

He also stressed on the need for having committees with Darfuri people and involving them in reconstruction and development issues.

Sese said that the LJM’s presence in the DRA will ensure participation of the Darfuri people in the region’s administrative matters.

Sese will soon return to Khartoum in order to exercise his duties as the head of the DRA. The headquarters of the DRA would be based in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

He said in a letter to the people of Darfur that the Doha agreement is not an agreement between the LJM and the government of Sudan, but is an agreement between the people of Darfur. “The agreement is meant to foster unity and Dafuri people’s participation in the implementation of the Doha agreement which will in turn bring peace to the region,” Sese said.