Darfur Regional Authority probes 11 employees

The Darfur Regional Authority will investigate 11 of its employees for their alleged involvement in stopping the Authority’s conference in Khartoum on 26 August. The DRA issued a decision to discontinue the services of the employees.

The conference in El Salam Rotana Hotel on 26 August inaugurated Phase Two of the Darfur development projects. A fight, started by former members of the National Liberation and Justice Movement (NLJM), put an end to the ceremony.

The former members demanded permission to read a statement in protest against the NLJM’s way of work concerning the Darfur development projects. When this was refused, they began to riot and attacked a DRA Minister. The police intervened and contained the situation.

On 9 September, Minister Awad Hassan El Nur announced that his investigation committee heard 24 witnesses of the incident, and that the final report was submitted to the presidential office. The President of Sudan Omar Al Bashir will decide on the matter, according to El Nur.

Al Bashir ordered an immediate investigation led by the Minister of Justice into the fight four days later. A meeting between the head of the DRA, De El Tijani Sese, and LJM leader Bahar Idris Abu Garda three weeks after the incident resulted in their reconciliation.
Sese chairs the DRA and the NLJM. In January 2015, Sese was ousted as head of the Liberation and Justice Movement and the Secretary-General Abu Garda was elected as his replacement. Sese formed the NJLM. Since then the DRA, with functionaries of both the NJLM and the JLM, has been divided, too.

DRA warns about food gap

According to El Syha Arabic newspaper, the DRA Minister of Agriculture, El Sadig Yousif, has warned of a food gap in the region owing to a shortage of rainfall this year. He noted that the average rainfall was much better in South and West Darfur.

“We need to prevent clashes between nomads and farmers to secure the harvest season,” he said.

The Darfur Regional Authority will investigate 11 of its employees for their alleged involvement in stopping the Authority's conference in Khartoum on 26 August. The DRA issued a decision to discontinue the services of the employees.

The conference in El Salam Rotana Hotel on 26 August inaugurated Phase Two of the Darfur development projects. A fight, started by former members of the National Liberation and Justice Movement (NLJM), put an end to the ceremony.

The former members demanded permission to read a statement in protest against the NLJM’s way of work concerning the Darfur development projects. When this was refused, they began to riot and attacked a DRA Minister. The police intervened and contained the situation.

On 9 September, Minister Awad Hassan El Nur announced that his investigation committee heard 24 witnesses of the incident, and that the final report was submitted to the presidential office. The President of Sudan Omar Al Bashir will decide on the matter, according to El Nur.

Al Bashir ordered an immediate investigation led by the Minister of Justice into the fight four days later. A meeting between the head of the DRA, De El Tijani Sese, and LJM leader Bahar Idris Abu Garda three weeks after the incident resulted in their reconciliation.

Sese chairs the DRA and the NLJM. In January 2015, Sese was ousted as head of the Liberation and Justice Movement and the Secretary-General Abu Garda was elected as his replacement. Sese formed the NJLM. Since then the DRA, with functionaries of both the NJLM and the JLM, has been divided, too.