VP: ‘Sudan determined to close Darfur camps’

Sudan’s Second Vice-President, Hasabo Mohamed Abdelrahman, said that his government is determined to close the camps for displaced people in Darfur next year. He further instructed the return of police forces and prosecutors to Um Baru locality.

Abdelrahman delivered a speech to the representatives of former rebel groups and displaced people in Um Baru, North Darfur on Monday. According to Sudan Tribune, the Second VP said Darfur has “completely recovered from the war and is now looking forward to achieve a full peace, stability and development.

“The camps represent a significant and unfortunate loss of dignity and rights of citizens in their country,” he said, and called on the displaced people “to choose within no more than a month between resettlement or return to their original areas.

“The government will provide urgent assistance to the returnees including the rehabilitation of schools, water sources and the main hospital.”

Many people who have been displaced by conflict in Darfur and now live in camps still are reluctant to return to their homes owing to a lack of security. As frequently reported by Radio Dabanga, pro-government militia members and gunmen frequently attack and rob villagers in those areas.

According to the United Nations humanitarian office, OCHA, up to 233,000 people in Darfur have been forced to flee their homes because of armed conflicts since January 2015. Approximately 3.1 million people in Sudan were displaced at the end of 2014; the majority in Darfur. An estimated 66,000 people displaced, however, have returned to their areas of origin this year.

Return of police and judiciary

On Monday, the Second VP visited Um Baru in North Darfur, where he instructed the Interior and the Justice Ministries and the judiciary to return the police, judiciary, and prosecutors to the locality. He ordered them to perform their tasks in order to extend the security, stability, justice, and rule of law.

Abdelrahman also announced the establishment of a development fund, the rehabilitation of Um Baru hospital, the improvement of wells, dams, and reservoirs – these are “a matter of urgency”. Adding that he visited Karnoi and Tina localities too, the VP proposed to establish a road between the two localities and Um Baru.

Spectators carried banners during yesterday’s visit to Um Baru by the Second VP, accompanied by North Darfur Governor and senior government officials.

On 16 December, Abdelrahman addressed a public gathering in the South Darfur capital of Nyala, calling on tribal leaders in Darfur not to protect rebels or militiamen belonging to their tribes or to cover up their crimes. He associated development with security, saying: “Give me security and I will provide you with comprehensive development in return”.