Darfur Follow-ups: El Geneina
The acting governor of West Darfur, Al-Tijani Al-Tahir Karshom, doubts the validity of the numbers killed by the events of ardamata in the city of El Geneina, after reports by human rights organizations indicated that 1,300 people, including children, women, and the elderly, were killed, and more than 2,000 others were wounded. He said, “It is true that the battle on the first and second days, “in ardamta,” heavy artillery was used, It affected citizens in the neighboring neighborhoods, but accurate statistics regarding those killed are difficult to know, but after the situation stabilizes, we can know that, and I do not think that the victims are in these numbers.)
The governor announced initiatives and movements from parties inside and outside the state, including the parent initiative, the native administrations, and the youth. To address the problem that occurred in the state, and to address the repercussions of the war until the state stabilizes and communities coexist, he called on all citizens of the state to sit together to agree and reconcile.
Karshom announced the relative calm of the situation in the city of El Geneina, and said that life is gradually returning to the city, as a result of the great efforts made by the state government and the Rapid Support Forces. He added (West Darfur went through difficult circumstances, but now it is gradually recovering, in each of the El Geneina localities, as well as the “Ardamata” area , which witnessed the last conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support) and the governor went on to say, “We do not say that all challenges have disappeared, but we are working on a daily basis.” We are working hard to establish security and stability in Western Darfur.
He added that the problems facing West Darfur are the same problems facing the states of Sudan, which have been affected by the war since it broke out on April 15 in Khartoum. He explained that West Darfur today has become completely cut off from federal institutions, and said that the interruption of the eastern road to West Darfur had a significant impact on the economic situation.
He said that opening the borders between the state and the state of Chad contributed to addressing the economic conditions, and in this regard, he thanked the neighboring state of Chad for opening the borders and receiving the state’s refugees.
Complaints :
Karshom complained that the federal institutions were neglecting to provide support to the state. He renewed his demand that the federal institutions must fulfill their obligations to the state. He revealed that the state was suffering from problems of salaries, food, and medicine. He said that the federal institutions in Port Sudan did not provide the state with any support.
He added (there was communication, and we in the states are always linked to the Ministry of Federal Government, and we communicated with them and informed them of the state’s conditions and the circumstances it is going through, and we demanded of them the necessity of mobilizing institutions to intervene in providing aid to the state) and he continued (until now nothing has reached us from these federal institutions. In the field of health, nor humanitarian aid, nor even the aid that comes from outside Sudan.
Karshom called on the Federal Ministry of Finance to pay the benefits of workers in the state. He said that workers in West Darfur have not been paid their salaries for seven months. He added, “There are some states that received salaries for two or three months. But in West Darfur, nothing reached it.)
He warned the Federal Ministry of Finance against disposing of the state’s workers’ entitlements and added in this regard, “If the state takes into account the efforts made by the workers and their rights, it must provide them with these rights. If any disposal of the workers’ rights occurs, and it violates the institutions concerned, the Federal Ministry of Finance will bear responsibility.” , and federal government.)
The humanitarian situation
In a related context, the governor of West Darfur appealed to international organizations, United Nations agencies and philanthropists to take urgent action to save citizens in the states of West and Central Darfur, and to take rapid measures to address humanitarian needs and ensure urgent access to those in need.
He called on international organizations and United Nations agencies to give the states of West and Central Darfur the highest priority since they were completely cut off from federal institutions. He added, “We worked hard to secure the western gate, considering it the entrance and the goal for organizations to enter and provide aid. However, the governor says, ‘Some organizations entered It was not able to cover many needs, because the gap is large.
He revealed three localities in Western Darfur that he said were most in need of aid now, namely El Geneina, Kerenik, and Sirba.
The arrival of UN agencies
A team of organizations and United Nations agencies arrived for the first time to enter Central Darfur state since the outbreak of war in mid-April. The governor of West Darfur announced a joint meeting held with a team of international organizations and agencies that included the states of West and Central Darfur and the Rapid Support Command in the Azum region of Central Darfur state on Thursday. Karshom said that the meeting discussed the problems facing the two states, most notably security, trade coordination, and the entry of organizations and United Nations agencies.
He explained that the audience agreed on the need to address the security situation and secure the entry of humanitarian organizations and United Nations agencies. He described the situation in the states of Central Darfur as difficult and requiring intervention. Urgent to address the humanitarian situation.
Health conditions
Regarding the health conditions in the state, the governor revealed that 6 doctors specializing in surgery and orthopedics arrived from the Red Cross to the city of El Geneina to perform operations in El Geneina Hospital to save the injured.
In this regard, he pointed out that there were 45 injured people in need of major operations, and he praised the governor.
Collective efforts and initiatives to restore service in El Geneina Hospital, He said that work is now continuing in health centers and rural hospitals, with the support of organizations and United Nations agencies, which entered West Darfur through the neighboring country of Chad.
curfew
In addition, West Darfur State formed a military force to implement the state’s decisions to ban curfews, not to fire shots at night in the city of El Geneina, and to combat negative phenomena. Karshom said that the state government had taken important decisions to maintain security in West Darfur, including a curfew, ammunition strikes, and combating negative phenomena.
He announced the formation of a large military force to implement those decisions and said that the existing Rapid Support Forces now bear the responsibility of maintaining security and stability. He added to Radio Dabanga in this regard
Offline and online
In a related context, the state of West Darfur is still outside the coverage of communications networks, and suffers from severe weakness in Internet services, and the governor of West Darfur called on the communications networks to restore service in the state.
He said that West Darfur remained completely cut off from the world during the previous period, and the governor announced the return of the Sudani network, but he pointed out that the Internet service is still weak and other localities are outside coverage.
