New West Darfur Wali vows to address security in El Geneina

The new Wali (governor) of West Darfur, Lt Gen Khamis Abkar, says that the decision to appoint him as governor of West Darfur is part of the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement. On Sunday, the Prime Minister issued a decision appointing Nimr Abdel Rahman as governor of North Darfur, Khamis Abdullah for West Darfur, and Ahmed El Omda for Blue Nile State.

In a statement following his appointment, Abkar said that one of the priorities of his term of office from the point of views of security in West Darfur, is “to address the complex situation in El Geneina,” and promised “to work to address all differences peacefully and through societal dialogue, not by using weapons”.

He explained that El Geneina includes 43 tribes and that he will be the wali of all, calling for the renunciation of tribalism and regionalism to achieve stability and peaceful coexistence among the various components of society in all of Sudan, in particular Darfur.

He pointed out that the implementation of security arrangements will reduce the spread of weapons in the hands of citizens, and stressed the need to cooperate with neighbouring Chad to prevent security chaos on the borders, by activating the role of the joint forces.