Sudan’s VP, DDR commissioner discuss disarmament campaign

July 22, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Vice-President and head of the higher committee for a collection of illicit weapons and unregulated vehicles Hassabo Mohamed Abdel-Rahman has instructed to form sub-committees to follow-up on the implementation of the disarmament campaign.

Vice-President Abdel-Rahman Sunday met the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) commissioner Salah al-Tayeb in his office at the Republican Palace.

During the meeting, al-Tayeb briefed Abdel-Rahman on his commission’s plan and programmes for the collection of illicit arms, In press statements following the meeting, al-Tayeb said the Vice-President has instructed to form sub-committees to follow-up on the implementation of the disarmament campaign.

He added the sub-committees would also urge regional and international partners to contribute to funding implementation of plans aiming to ensure the success of the campaign besides developing political, economic and social studies on the impact of illicit arms.

According to al-Tayeb, the meeting further discussed plans and programmes being implement by the DDR during the previous period as well as obstacles that hindered performance.

In August 2017, the Sudanese authorities launched a six-month disarmament campaign to eliminate illegal weapons in the conflict-affected areas in Sudan, particularly in Darfur region.

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 official statements say 30,000 arms have been collected in the five states of Darfur region during the voluntary process which started in August, while official figures estimate at 700,000 the number of illegal weapons in Darfur.

(ST)