Sudan’s National Consensus Forces reject Darfur referendum

The Sudanese opposition parties allied in the National Consensus Forces (NCF) reject the holding of the Darfur referendum.

In a press statement on Sunday, the NCF accuses the Sudanese government of failing to achieve peace and security in the war-torn western region, restore the rule of law, and support a safe return for the displaced to their places of origin.

According to the allied opposition parties, the government's adherence to the Darfur referendum in April without waiting for the results of the National Dialogue deliberations is “misleading the Sudanese and international community about the pledges it has made”.

The NCF considers the 2011 Doha Document for Peace in Darfur “flawed” as it was signed only by the Sudanese government and the Liberation and Justice Movement, a coalition of 19 breakaway factions of the Darfur rebel movements formed the year before, and not by the three main holdout rebel movements and the political parties.

Administrative status

In the referendum, scheduled to be held on 11-13 April, the people currently living in Darfur are able to vote on the permanent administrative status of the region. The options are the return of Darfur to one administrative unit or the continuation of the five Darfur states.

The referendum was supposed to be held within one year after the signing of the peace accord. Last October, President Omar Al Bashir announced that the referendum will take place in April 2016.

For the Darfuris themselves, the administrative status is not their main concern. “What the people in Darfur want most is not a referendum but their being able to lead a decent and secure life in their villages of origin,” a Darfuri human rights lawyer told Radio Dabanga in October.

“The Doha Document prioritises the restoration of the security situation, through the implementation of the security arrangements and the disarmament of the non-military in the region. Yet, the disarmament has never taken place,” he said.

Darfuris living in the camps for the displaced, Sudanese opposition parties, and civil society activists earlier expressed their grave concerns about holding the referendum in the current circumstances.

Residents of Jebel Marra, suffering from a major government offensive against rebel strongholds in the area, told Radio Dabanga that they wonder how a referendum can be held while their villages are being destroyed, and many people are hiding from continuous air raids.

Registration

The registration for the referendum began on 8 February and will end on 20 March. Only people currently residing in the region are able to cast their vote. Darfuri refugees and migrants living abroad are excluded.

About 1,400 registration and polling centres will be established in all 63 Darfur localities. The result of the referendum is based on a minimum of fifty percent plus one, and will be incorporated in the Constitution.

Sudan Tribune reported on Sunday that almost 340,000 North Darfuris have already registered for the referendum. According to the last census conducted in Sudan in 2008, the population of Darfur was estimated at about 7.5 million.