West Darfur to collect weapons from ‘citizens’

The West Darfur authorities will start collecting weapons in the region. According to Sudan’s second vice-president, the disarmament of people in Darfur and South Kordofan will be completed in 2017.
“Weapons are to be solely used by regular troops,” West Darfur Governor Fadlelmawla El Huja stressed during his visit to Kunjulti in Beida locality on Saturday.
While inspecting the area after a clash between militant El Na’aja and El Mahriya herders, the governor said that “all militant citizens will be disarmed soon”.
He further ordered the arrest of all those involved in the clash in which one herder was killed. He further pointed to the formation of a committee of elders from both parties to reach a cessation of hostilities between the two communities.
2017
In his address to a political forum held in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, on Friday evening, Second Vice-President Hasabo Abdelrahman said that the collection of arms from citizens in Darfur and South Kordofan will be completed next year.
He called on the people to support the implementation of the disarmament project, and emphasised that “Disarmament cannot be attained through the collection of weapons by the regular forces only but it requires the effort of the communities as well.”
The vice-president called on the people of Darfur “to replace violence by dialogue”, and “develop a culture of reconciliation among herders and farmers”.
He further noted that the National Dialogue is “the most effective means for unifying the national ranks and realising peace” in the country. “Despite the plots against the Sudanese government and the sanctions imposed on Sudan, the moderate Islamic development project has been successful.”
The outcomes of the Dialogue, laid down in the National Document in October this year, “will assist the development of a permanent Constitution and good governance. They will lead to economic development as well,” he stated.