Sudan: Haroun reaffirms commitment to re-establish West Kordofan

March 16, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – South Kordofan governor, Ahmad Haroun, has renewed his promise to reinstate West Kordofan State which was dissolved under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between Sudan and South Sudan.

Haroun originally made the promise during his campaign for South Kordofan’s gubernatorial elections in May 2010. The results of the election were announced in Haroun’s favour and against his opponent, Abdul Aziz al-Hilu, the leader of the opposition turned rebel group, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N).

The announcement of the bitterly contested results was followed by the eruption, in June, of the conflict between Sudanese government forces and SPLM-N combatants who had fought as part of South Sudan’s army in the second Sudanese civil war which ended with the CPA.

Addressing a public rally in Al-Mujlad town on Friday, Haroun reaffirmed his personal commitment, and the government’s commitment to bring West Kordofan back.

The dissolution of West Kordofan in 2005 stoked grievances among its Arab Baggara population, including Al-Misserya, who believed the move was intended to divide areas dominated by opponents of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in Khartoum.

According to Haroun, the decision to reinstate West Kordofan was irrevocable and it is only a matter of time before it is back.

The governor called on Al-Mujlad’s population to find better ways to express their demands rather than protests and demonstrations.

The former provincial capital of West Kordofan, Al-Fula, witnessed in the past few days demonstrations by youth groups protesting unemployment and low quality of public services.

Haroun promised that his government would continue the development process in the state despite the circumstances of war.

The governor also revealed a plan by the authorities to provide water and pastors to Arab nomadic tribes to remove their need to migrate into South Sudan, in order to avoid any potential confrontations.

“We will fight with one hand and build with the other,” he told the audience.

He also announced plans to increase the hours of electricity supply in Al-Mujlad to 12 hours per day.

(ST)