Students call for Darfur referendum boycot

Several leaders of Darfur university student associations have supported the condemnation of the planned referendum on the administrative status of Darfur.

The head of the Darfur Students Association at the Holy Koran University in the Sudanese capital, Nasruldin El Soal, stated on Monday that they condemn the manner in which the government deals with the Darfur file. “It is an ill-directed play,” he wrote to Radio Dabanga.

He said that the situation in the region has become more troubled because of the attacks the government has recently carried out. “The government is incapable of resolving the problems of Darfur.”

From 11 to 13 April, citizens of Darfur will be able to decide on the permanent administrative status of the western region; between the return of Darfur to a single entity or the continuation of the current status of five states. The province was first divided into states in 1994. The referendum is stipulated in the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur that was signed in July 2011.

Displaced

Darfuris living in the camps for the displaced, Sudanese opposition parties, and civil society activists have expressed grave concerns about holding the referendum in the current circumstances, saying it might lead to a new turmoil in Darfur and to huge financial costs.

As signatory movement to the Doha document, the Justice and Equality Movement led by Dabajo, supports keeping Darfur as five states. The political secretary of the movement, Nahar Osman Nahar, said at a press conference in Khartoum on Monday that the referendum “entitles” the people of Darfur according to the Doha document – adding that it should have been held a year ago. “The timing is suitable for the process, that is associated with the final outputs of the National Dialogue,” he said.

The Governor of Central Darfur state, Gaafar Abdelhakam, also warned against establishing a single region in Darfur. According to Sudan Tribune he said that it would lead to the centralisation of services and increase people’s suffering, after meeting with the referendum’s committee.

“The referendum ignores the current problems in Darfur.”

El Rabi Abdelmoumen, the head of the Darfur Students Association at the Universirty of Sudan in Khartoum, said he doubts the government’s intention toward the referendum. “It passes by the fundamental issues plaguing the province, including the war, destruction, and displacement.”

Yesterday, he appealed via Radio Dabanga to the people of Darfur to boycott the referendum.

The president of the Students Association at Bahri University, Abdallah Ahmad Taha, believes that the referendum will lead to more disruption and fragmentation. In a written statement to Radio Dabanga, he denounced the ongoing fighting between the government and rebel forces, leading to the killing and displacement of civilians in Darfur’s Jebel Marra.