Darfur Regional Authority starts wrapping up its activities

May 02, 2016 (EL FASHER) – Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) started ending its mandate by handing over its assets to the Presidency of the Republic and ending staff assignments before the end of its term in July.

Darfur Regional Authority was established in line with the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), which was signed in July 2011, by the Government of Sudan and former rebel Liberation and Justice Movement.

The DRA is tasked with the implementing of the peace document and its term is four years. However, DRA mandate was extended up to July 2016, by a presidential decree in 2015.

DRA Affairs Minister, Youssef al-Talib, said that the authority has started handing over its assets to the Sudanese presidency and finalizing staff status before the end of its term in July.

“There are several suggestions on the future of DRA staff,” said al-Talib adding that the DRA specialized commissions will directly be reporting to the Presidency of the Republic and will continue working up to 2019 as stipulated in DDPD.

“The projects established by DRA will continue in all Darfur states up to their finalization,” concluded al-Talib.

Last April, Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement declaring the end of DRA mandate by the release of Darfur Administrative Referendum outcome. The statement said that DRA commissions for refugees return, land and others will be directly reporting to the presidency.

Darfur Administrative Referendum results indicated that 97.73 % of the voters have called for keeping the current five states ruling system, while 2.28% of the voters called for one region system in Darfur.

(ST)