Darfur / UNAMID Media Brief

EL FASHER (DARFUR), Sudan, February 15, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- UNAMID Media Brief /15 February 2012

Doha Document dissemination ongoing in four Darfur states

Dissemination activities for the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) started this week among the communities in West and South Darfur. The exercise, which is also ongoing on Central and North Darfur, is organized by the Civil Society Follow-up Mechanism, a group of community representatives created to liaise with the civil society organizations on the Doha peace process, and supported logistically and technically by UNAMID.

Yesterday the exercise was officially launched in El Geneina, West Darfur, in a ceremony attended by the Chairperson of the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA), Eltigani Seisi, and the Wali (Governor) of the state, Haidar Galu Koma Atim, among other local representatives and UNAMID officials.

“The upcoming period would require concerted efforts for putting the Doha Document on the ground and for providing necessary services for the people of Darfur,” said Mr. Seisi. He also called upon all to support the Document for the well-being of the citizens of Darfur, re-emphasizing the necessity of securing the return of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees to their original villages.

On 13 February the dissemination kicked off in Nyala, South Darfur, with a workshop attended by more than 100 legislators, former parliamentarians and members of political parties. It was followed by a second seminar held yesterday targeting youth, women and other civil society representatives.

The participants demanded more workshops stressing that they were more enlightened now on a number of issues especially on the inclusion of political and economic rights. However they expressed reservations regarding the voluntary return of IDPs due to a lack of basic facilities and insecurity. According to Mr. Ahmed Abdul Aziz Abdul Kaibir, a member of the civil society, “how can they return when there are widespread arms and the militias are roaming about with their guns?”

UNAMID-supported dissemination activities, which began on 18 January in North Darfur, have already reached about 3,000 people in 30 workshops and similar exercises will take place in the coming weeks in the new East Darfur state and in Khartoum. This process is a key element for promoting the understanding of the Doha Document and creating an enabling environment for its implementation.