North Darfur governor declares extraordinary security measures

November 1, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The governor of Sudan’s North Darfur state, Osman Mohamed Youssef Kibir, has issued emergency orders aiming to combat crimes, drugs trafficking, and illegal weapons.

The order have granted a mandate to a joint force of regular troops including the army, police, and security and intelligence to enter all buildings and houses in the state’s capital city of Al-Fashir in search for criminals, crime tools, and anything contrary to law.

It also delegates the governor’s powers which were defined by the 1997 emergency law to the commanders of the army, police, security, as well as commissioners provided that the governor is notified about their actions within 48 hours.

The army which operates under the command of the commissioners is now authorized to arrest anyone who threatened, threatens, or about to threaten public security and safety. It also granted the army the right to arrest anyone who participated or incited anyone to participate in tribal conflicts and clashes.

It also demanded that leaders of the local administration in areas of tribal and armed conflicts and areas of drugs storage, promotion, and passage to arrest the suspects or inform the state’s security apparatus.

The emergency order further authorized the joint force to search houses, shops, storages, and people at anytime and to use maximum force and firearms if it encounters resistance. The force was also authorized to chase anyone who randomly firearms at any place or time and regardless of his social or governmental status.

The joint force is can provisionally detain any citizen in North Darfur states regardless of his post or profession if there is a reasonable suspicion that he sells, buys, promotes, and transports drugs.

The orders also prevents anyone carrying firearms, except regular troops during official working hours, from entering commercial markets and public places whatever motives and reasons.

Darfur has been a flashpoint for lawlessness and violence since rebel movements took up arms against the Khartoum government in 2003.

Tribal fighting has become the major source of insecurity in Darfur since the beginning of the year, forcing over 300,000 people to flee their homes.

Inter-tribal clashes erupted in North Darfur state last January between members of the rival Arab Northern Rezeigat (Aballa) and Beni Hussein tribes, fighting for control of the region’s gold mines claiming lives of 839 people and injuring thousands others

Last June, Bashir warned against tribal strife in some areas of the country, noting that Sudan is facing challenges that require cooperation of all its people.

“Tribal conflicts in a number of Sudan’s areas constitute the biggest threat to the country”, Bashir said when addressing a meeting of the Shura (consultative) Council of the NCP.

Different officials in Darfur including the head of the regional authority, Tijani El-Sissi, also said that tribal violence is among the biggest threat to ongoing efforts to implement a peace document signed in Doha more than two years ago.

(ST)