Sudanese protest against agricultural land deal with Ethiopia

Jan 3, 2005 (KHARTOUM) — A new Sudanese organization called The Fashaqah Lands Liberation Organization has presented a statement to the head of the legislative council in Al-Qadarif State, Karamallah Abbas al-Sheikh, in which it criticized the Al-Fashaqah agricultural lands agreement signed between the Sudanese and Ethiopian governments.

According to the 15 Dec, 2005 agreement, Sudanese government concedes some disputed territories to Ethiopian farmers who cultivate the area, and pay rental due to the Sudan.

The statement, whose contents were revealed to council members by Karamallah during yesterday’s session, called on the state’s youth to come out and volunteer to liberate the occupied Fashaqah lands.

Several council members said this was an urgent matter that needed to be settled as soon as possible.

They told Al-Khartoum that they were prepared to take the issue up to the highest political and legal levels.

Some of the members said they suspected foreign intelligence agencies had incited the group issuing the statement in an attempt to stir up trouble between Sudan and Ethiopia.

Meanwhile, the head of the council said one of the council’s sessions would be dedicated to discussing the Fashaqah lands agreement within the next two days.

He said the council would listen to the views of all those concerned and would take the appropriate decision in this regard.

(ST)