Outcome of Darfur referendum will be implemented in the whole Sudan: official
April 1, 2016 (EL-FASHER) – The head of Darfur peace implementation office Friday said if Darfurians opt for the establishment of one administrative entity, the central government will endorse their will and implement it to other regions.
The referendum is held in accordance with Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) signed in July 2011 but it was also included in the Darfur Peace Agreement of 2006. The rebel groups at the time demanded to re-establish the old territorial administrative system where the Sudan was divided into nine province.
The purpose of this demand is to end Khartoum’s interference in the landownership conflicts. The central government was accused of granting land to Arab pastoral tribes at the expense of African farmers, particularly the Fur and the Masalit ethnic groups. It was also accused of turning a blind eye to the land grabbing by the armed nomads.
“If Darfur chose to form one region, this choice will be applied in the whole Sudan because you cannot rules Darfur region with a system and the rest of the country with another system,” said Amin Hassan Omer in a rally held on the occasion of the referendum in El-Fasher Friday.
Omer who is also the government chief negotiator went to say that the administrative frame is not important but the rebels insisted on this point and imposed it during the peace talks in Abuja and Doha.
with the organization of the administrative referendum “”we can say we reached the final stage in the implementation of the agreements we signed. The basic demands of the (rebel groups) during the (peace) negotiations have been entirely achieved, and the figures in the fields of power, wealth and development can prove that,” he further said.
The meeting was attended by a number of federal ministers who accompanied President al-Bashir including Heath Minister Bahr Abu Garda, Information Minister Ahmed Balal Osman, Roads and Bridges Minister Makawi Ahmed Awad, and Minister of Federal Government Faisal Hassan Ibrahim.
Each of them spoke about the government achievements in the region since the eruption of the Darfur conflict in 2003.
Bashir and several officials exhorted Darfurians to participate in the plebiscite adding that the will of the region’s resident will be respected and included in the constitution.
The rally was also attended by the head of Darfur Regional Authority and former Darfur governor Tijani al-Sissi who calls for a unified administration in the region.
Holdout rebel groups and opposition forces call to boycott the referendum pointing that there is no peace in the region and the displaced persons and refugees cannot take part in the vote.
(ST)