Development projects to be implemented in Darfur up to 2019

The State Minister at the Darfur Peace Follow up Office, Ustaz. Magdy Khallafalla, on Tuesday revealed that a number of development projects are being implemented in Darfur as the area has now witnessed greater stability and on the heel of the armed movements tilted to peace and to participation in the National Dialogue and the ensuing National Document
The State Minister told the Blue Nile TV channel that these projects which will span up to 2019 and in which the government of the Sudan, its partners and the UN Development Programme, would cost up to 88 million dollars.
The State Minister has commended the role played by the Darfur Regional Authority whose mandate expired along with the conclusion of the Darfur Peace Doha Peace Document. 
He said the authority has played a huge role in bringing in stability and in convincing Darfur armed movements to halt the fighting and join the rehabilitation and development programmes.
He told the Blue Nile's (Open Dialogue) programme that the coming phase will see the formation of the different commissions affiliated to the Darfur follow up office and that they would be continuing the works initiated by the Darfur Regional Authority that included rehabilitation and reconstitution, the land and the security arrangements.
He said some 13 projects will be implemented in Darfur's five states via the UNDP as well as other projects which were donated by the government of Turkey, including a hospital, and that the culmination of these programmes would be the establishment of the Darfur Bank, which is funded by the Emir of Qatar, with a capital of one billion dollars.
Ustaz Khallafalla also reviewed the efforts exerted by the government towards achieving peace and stability in Darfur since the year 2008 up the signing of the Doha Peace Document which was the real impetus for peace in the region.
He revealed that more than twenty Darfur rebel movements have joined the peace process via the Doha, Qatar and the Abuja, Nigeria, forums up to the holding of the Donors conference in 2012 in which 117 countries took part and which put in place the Darfur National Strategy.
Commenting on the security arrangements, Magdy said 13 movements have been involved in the security arrangement and that 10 movements have actually been demobilized while three others are in the process of demobilization.
He revealed that 173 officers from those rebel movements have been observed within the Sudanese regular National Armed Forces in accordance with the principles and measures put in place by the army and in accordance with its regulations. 
He said along with those officers some 4000 commissioned officers and privates were also absorbed within the national army.
He further explained that individual and collective programmes were also applied for those demobilized including granting each individual a sum of 1500 dollar and their being involved in 114 projects implemented by the DDR, for the resettlement and of the ex-combatant, along with the assistance of many a partners.
On the participation of the movements in the coming national accord government, Ustaz Khallafalla has revealed that the participation would be b based on some specific measures drawn by the higher coordination committee which will decide whether the participation would be in the executive or the legislature. 
He commended the movements that have took part in the national dialogue and responded to the call of the president of the Republic.
On the exit of the United Nations African Union Peace Keeping Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Ustaz Khallafalla has said the exit would be gradual following the statement by the UN Security Council about the improvement of the security situation in Darfur. He said as UNAMID have already pulled out of 14 areas in the region and that the pull out would continue.

Source: SUNA