Sudan’s disarmament campaign to continue until 2025: governor

March 3, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – The governor of South Darfur State Adam al-Faki said the disarmament campaign would continue until the year 2025.

Al-Faki, who inaugurated a number of services facilities in the village of Al-Abrar, locality of Mirshing Friday, stressed the government wouldn’t allow anybody to carry weapons except the regular forces.

He added the government would crackdown on the outlaws during the coming period, saying their focus would now shift to education and development projects.

For his part, the commissioner of Mirshing locality, al-Sadig Mohamed Khamis, said the collection of illicit weapons has enhanced security and stability and contributed to the voluntary return of IDPs to their original villages.

Last August, the Sudanese authorities launched a campaign to eliminate illegal weapons in the conflict-affected areas in Sudan.

The campaign, which would be implemented across the country, began by disarming tribes and civilians in Kordofan and Darfur.

The Sudanese authorities say the spread of weapons among the rival tribes in the region is one of the main causes of Darfur’s instability.

The Sudanese army has been fighting a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003. UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in the conflict and over 2.5 million were displaced.

(ST)