Sudan Targets Collecting 1.5 Million Weapons in West Darfur

The civilian population bears weapons in Darfur.

Khartoum, MINA – The Sudanese government launched a largescale campaign to collect the unlicensed weapons and 4X4 vehicles in the West Darfur State in a bid to restore rule of law in the region.

Local leaders and tribal headmen are worried about the planned security measures that targets collecting nearly 1.5 million weapons; they call for comprehensive reconciliations among the various tribes ahead of the campaign.

As part of the campaign, Sudan’s Vice President Hassabo Mohammad Abdulrahman visited the five federal states – Central Darfur, East Darfur, North Darfur, South Darfur and West Darfur, where he lobbied for ending the arms displays with a view to restoring the state stature in the western region.

The region has been scene of chaos, lawlessness and recurrent tribal infightings and robberies since the insurgency that broke out in 2003.

Abdulrahman, chairman of the national committee to collect the unlicensed firearms in Darfur and the central region of Kurdufan, ordered the law-enforcers to arrest anybody with criminal record and seize any unlicensed firearms or vehicles.

The security and armed forces are mandated by the Presidency to start implementing these measures urgently without paying any damages to the owners of such unlicensed items, he said.

“The prevalence of unlicensed firearms and arms displays at public areas poses the gravest threat to the country. We will never allow anybody to carry weapons except the regular troops,” he stressed.

Sources of arms smuggling into Sudan

Sources of am smuggling into SThe porous borders with Libya, Chad, Central Africa and South Africa have been the main source of arms smuggling into Sudan since the 1980s. Large quantities of firearms and heavy weapons flowed into the country during the recent Chadian Civil War (2005-2010) and the Libyan revolution that broke out on February 17, 2011.

Darfur region has seen more than 730 bloody tribal gunfights over the last decade, which left thousands of casualties and displaced large numbers of people.

As the insurgency in Darfur abated last year, the government realized the need to end the arms displays, form a national committee to collect the weapons, and lobby for the campaign among the local tribes.

The government announced awards for owners of unlicensed weapons who choose to lay down their weapons voluntarily.

Many conferences, sponsored by the local and federal authorities, failed to put an end to the bitter feuds and recurrent conflicts among tribes such as Messiria, Maalia, Rizeigat and Bani Hussein.

The decades-long clashes between Maalia and Rizeigat over possession of farmland in East Darfur State renewed in last July; thus prompting the local government to seek help from the armed forces to restore calm.

The security forces, backed by the army, managed to seize 470 firearms from both tribes in the last fortnight as part of the ongoing campaign, Dr. Al-Hadi Abu-Zaidah, a Sudanese strategist said.

“The government decision to embark on collecting the weapons is very crucial to stabilize the region and restore the stature of the state,” he told KUNA.

“However, the government should work out a clear-cut program with specific steps and time schedule; first of all, launch an effective media campaign to promote awareness among tribesmen; “Second, the government should start purchasing the heavy weapons and phase out possession of light arms in order to encourage the people to relinquish possession of arms; “Third, the tribal gunmen should be integrated into the regular troops, including the border guards and local authority, away from any political or ethnic considerations; “And fourth, the government needs to win the confidence of the tribal headmen and convince them of holding conferences on genuine reconciliation away from political polarization,” Dr. Abu-Zaidah went on.

These measures can help achieve effective disarmament and restore the rule of law in the region, he stressed. ((T/RS5/RS10

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)