Arab League builds 15 villages in Darfur
August 16, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The Arab League is building 15 model villages in Darfur region as part of its efforts to encourage the return of the Internally Displaced People and refugees, said the representative of the regional body in Khartoum.
Salah Halima told the official SUNA on Friday that every village will include a power and a water station, a school, a medical dispensary, a mosque, a social club, a police station and a grain milling machine.
He further said that the Arab League will also construct three hospitals and establish seven agricultural projects to promote economic activities in the war ravaged region, pointing that the total cost of these projects reaches 30 million dollars.
Since 2010 the Arab organisation builds typical villages and rehabilitation projects in implementation of a decision adopted in a summit held in Doha in March 2009. At that meeting the league decided to allocate eight million dollars monthly for Darfur.
Arab countries are often criticised for not contributing enough in the ongoing efforts to rebuild Darfur, a region where the 10-year conflict forced over four million to flee their villages and areas. UN agencies say there are still one and half million in the IDPs camps and some 200,000 refugees in neighbouring countries particularly Chad.
The Egyptian diplomat criticised some countries for their “negative positions” towards the rebel groups that reject to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the conflict.
Halima who is accused of backing systemically the government positions was alluding to Khartoum’s allegations against South Sudan and Uganda saying they support the holdout rebels.
He further hailed the “intensive efforts” carried out by the joint chief mediator and Qatar to bring the rebels to the negotiating table.
Mohamed Ibn Chambas told the UN Security Council last June he would organise a meeting with the rebel groups in Tanzania in August to revive peace talks with the government. However no date is yet announced for this meeting.
(ST)