Former WFP employees in North Darfur demand their dues

On Sunday, former employees of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) carried out a vigil in the North Darfur capital of El Fasher on Saturday, protesting their dismissal and demanding payment of their allowances.

Mohamed Mustafa Omar, one of the protesters, told Radio Dabanga that about 260 people who worked for the WFP in Darfur more than six years ago staged a protest in front of the organisation's office in El Fasher on Sunday from 8 am to 3:30 pm.

“For the sixth time in seven years, we publicly opposed the arbitrary dismissals, and demanded the payment of our financial entitlements, the extra hours we worked, and service allowances,” he said.

He explained that the dismissed employees “have tried all legal steps for six consecutive years. The absence of any reply prompted us to take to the streets to demand our legitimate rights”.

In February last year, a spokesman for the protesters told this station that 167 WFP employees in North Darfur were arbitrarily dismissed. More than 600 former employees in Nyala, El Geneina, and El Fasher had not been paid their financial dues.