Sudan’s President appoints LJM leader as head of Darfur regional authority
September 21, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir today appointed the leader of the Liberation and Equality Movement (LJM) Tijani el-Sissi at the head of Darfur Regional Authority(DRA).
The official SUNA on Wednesday published a presidential decree appointing Sissi as the chairperson of the Darfur Regional Authority. The other members of the new regional organ are also appointed by the president upon nomination by the DRA Chairperson.
The executive body is composed of ten ministers, five commissioners and an assistant to DRA chairman. Further the governors of Darfur states are members of the regional structure.
Besides reconciliation, and the consolidation of security and social peace, the DRA is also tasked with post conflict reconstruction and development and can borrow money from both national and external institutions in this regard.
El-Sissi, a former governor of Darfur region, is expected to return to the country on 10 October. Two political and military delegation from the from rebels are in the Sudan to raise the popular support to the agreement and prepare LJM participation in the national and regional institutions.
According to the DDPD, in protocol, the DRA chairman comes directly after the Vice-Presidents of the Republic and before the Assistants to the President of the Republic.
President Bashir is expected to announce the establishment of two new states in Darfur rising their number to five. The Central and East Darfur will join the existing North, South and West Darfur states.
Also the DRA will be flanked, in accordance with the Doha deal, with a 67-member legislative council.
The other rebel group participating in the Doha peace process the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) demands to open the DDPD for talks but Khartoum refuses and give them three months to join the deal.
US special envoy to Sudan seeks to bridge the caps between the two parties though a conference he intends to organize next month in Washington. However Sudan warned it would not accept anything other than the outcome of the Doha process.
(ST)