South Darfur weapon collection to tighten

The Governor of South Darfur announced tightening the weapon collection in an attempt to improve the security in the state.

Other decisions regard the banning of illegal checkpoints on the roads, and addressing disputes over land issues in South Darfur, Governor Adam El Faki said at a mass meeting in Shattai locality this weekend. His government focuses “on the issue of social peace, among the components of communities”, El Faki said.

Meanwhile the office for the collection of weapons has announced the inventory and registration of more than 27,000 weapons in South and West Darfur.

In Khartoum, the Darfur Foundation Forum for Culture, Dialogue and Social Peace has called for the need to create a positive climate for the collection of weapons, and work to educate communities on the risks of arms in Darfur.

El Shafie Ahmed Mohamed, the chairman of the forum's trustees board, said that the accumulation of weapons in Darfur is one of the most common ways of fueling the conflict.

In the forum’s periodic meeting, Mohamed said that the current stage requires more efforts in the process of collecting weapons from civilians.

“There are mechanisms and tools through which the stakeholders can work to voluntarily collect weapons from people, after they feel safe,” he said.

Emergency measures

The former South Darfur governor, Maj. Gen. Adam Jarelnabi, attempted to curb the increasing lawlessness in the state with the introduction of a number of emergency measures in July 2014.

Soon after his appointment in May last year, El Faki – formerly Governor of South Kordofan – vowed to curb the rampant insecurity in the state “by all means”.

After fierce clashes erupted between militant Salamat and Fellata in Tullus and Buram localities in February, he announced a security campaign in South Darfur, to be implemented by a joint security force of 100 vehicles.

In early March, the security troops began to detain Salamat and Fellata leaders suspected of provoking the clashes and to disarm all tribesmen in both localities as well. The joint force “managed to seize hundreds of various weapons from tribal members. The majority of the weapons were in the possession of cattle herders,” a South Darfur official told Radio Dabanga at the time.