Governor Kasha plans disarmament of Darfur militias

The governor of South Darfur State, Abdel Hamid Musa Kasha, announced his intention to begin soon a major disarmament campaign in the state. He said that the army, police and security would begin Saturday to remove illegal weapons from the hands of militias and citizens. In public remarks at a military training camp in Nyala on Tuesday, he affirmed that non-official personnel will not be allowed to carry weapons.

The disarmament of militias is a key demand of Abdel Wahid Al Nur, the exiled Sudan Liberation Army leader who refuses to take part in peace talks at Doha unless this pre-condition is met. Whether the disarmament campaign is in response to this demand or is due to other pressures or security considerations is not yet apparent.