Sudanese committee to assess 4x4s in East Darfur

The Government of East Darfur reported the arrival of a delegation of engineers from Khartoum that will evaluate unlicensed four-wheel-drive vehicles in the state.

In a press conference in Ed Daein, capital of East Darfur, last week, Adam Dirar, member of the governmental Vehicles Monitoring Agency of the Federal Ministry of Finance, appealed to all owners of four-wheel-drive vehicles to let the members of the Central Assessment Committee inspect their cars.

Dirar said that the technical committee, comprised of engineers, is concerned with the assessment of vehicles.

The final evaluation will based on the value of the vehicle at the market. If the owner wants to keep his vehicle, he will have to pay the required fees to the federal Ministry of Finance.

Campaign

In July, Khartoum announced that it would start a large disarmament campaign in the country, to begin with in Darfur and Kordofan.

According to Presidential Decree 419 of 2017, illegal weapons, ammunition, and vehicles are to be handed immediately to the Sudan Armed Forces (the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces), the state commissioner, or the nearest military or police unit.

The collection of illegal arms and cars will be voluntary in the beginning, and become compulsory in a later stage.

The decision to ban the use of Land Cruisers has negatively affected internal travel and travel in Darfur and West Kordofan, especially as it is the only practical way to move around in the rainy season.

The campaign will be followed by a reform of “the supporting forces of the army”, by which the various government militias will be dissolved. The members are to join the Sudan main militia, the Rapid Support Forces. The Border Guards militia have rejected the plans.