Darfur Regional Authority

Darfur Regional Authority
السلطة الإنتقالية الإقليمية لدارفور
al-slTa al-intqalia al-iqlimia al-darfor
CapitalAl-Fashir
Official languages Arabic
Demonym Darfuri
Government Interim regional administration
 -  Executive Chairperson Tijani Sese
Establishment
 -  Abuja Agreement 5 May 2006 
 -  TDRA established 23 April 2007 
 -  Doha Agreement 14 July 2011 
Area
 -  Total 493,180 km2
190,418 sq mi
Population
 -  estimate 6,000,000 (pre-conflict) (2004)

The Darfur Regional Authority (Arabic: السلطة الإنتقالية الإقليمية لدارفور, al-slTa al-intqalia al-iqlimia al-darfor) is an interim governing body for the Darfur region of the Republic of Sudan.[1] It was established as the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority in April 2007 under the terms of the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement [2] signed in May 2006.[3]

The current authority was reformed following the signing of a new Darfur Peace Agreement on 14 July 2011 which included provisions for a regional authority with both executive and legislative functions.[4] The reform process began on 20 September 2011 when Tijani Sese was named as chairman of the new authority and was completed on 8 February 2012 when the authority assumed its full functions.[5] The authority is based in Al-Fashir in North Darfur.

History

A Transitional Darfur Regional Authority was established in April 2007 as part of the Darfur Peace Agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi. The agreement was an attempt to resolve the Darfur conflict that had been ongoing from February 2003. The agreement was only signed by one rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement, and rejected by the Justice and Equality Movement, resulting in continuation of the conflict.

TDRA was composed of six commissions amongst which Darfur Reconstruction and Development Fund (DRDF) represented the back bone of the Authority. Abdelgabar Dosa was the founding President of the DRDF. The Commission had prepared a comprehensive and significant reconstruction and development plan of seven years 2008–2015 to be implemented in the region with all projects prepared meeting the international standards. In 2008 as the government failed to fulfil its obligations to allocate the seed money ($700 millions) agreed upon in the agreement Abdelgabar Dosa resigned and is living as a refugee in the UK.

In December 2010, the Sudan Liberation Movement withdrew from the peace agreement and the regional authority. Its leader Minni Minnawi fled to Southern Sudan and has since been dismissed as Senior Assistant to the President of Sudan and as Chairman of the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority.[6] The new Chairman Shartai Jaafar Abdel Hakam subsequently dismissed 10 other members of the Sudan Liberation Movement from the authority.[7]

In June 2011, a new Darfur Peace Agreement was proposed by the Joint Mediators at the Doha Peace Forum. This new agreement was intended to supersede the 2006 Abuja Agreement and included provisions for a Darfuri Vice-President and an administrative structure that includes both the states (as part of the process, two additional states were to be created in January 2012 within Darfur) and a strategic regional authority to oversee Darfur as a whole.[8] The new agreement was signed by the Government of Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement on 14 July 2011.[9] The Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement did not sign the new document but have three months in which to do so if they wish. The transition process towards a new authority began on 20 September 2011 when Tijani Sese was named as its chairman by the President of Sudan.[10] He was formally sworn in as chairman in October 2011 which was followed by the other executive members being appointed in January 2012. The two new states (East Darfur and Central Darfur) were also created in the Darfur region at the same time, bringing the total to five. The new authority assumed its full functions on 8 February 2012.[11]

Structure

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The 2011 Darfur Peace Agreement contained provisions for an administrative structure for Darfur that includes the three states (raised to five states from January 2012) and a strategic authority to oversee the region as a whole.[12] The regional authority it proposed consists of both executive and legislative organs which are known as the Darfur Executive and the Darfur Council.

Darfur Executive

The Darfur Executive is led by an Executive Chairperson and also includes an Executive Deputy-Chairperson, Darfur state governors, ministers and heads of ad hoc Darfur commissions. Leader of the Liberation and Justice Movement, Tijani Sese, is the chairperson of the authority.[13] The vice chair is appointed by the central government.

Executive members

Incumbent Office
Tijani Sese Executive Chairperson
Yousif Tibin Governor of Central Darfur
Abdul-Hamid Musa Kasha Governor of East Darfur
Osman Mohamed Yousif Kibir Governor of North Darfur
Hammad Ismail Hammad Abdul-Karim Governor of South Darfur
Yousif Al-Shenbali Governor of West Darfur
Amna Haroun Muhammed Ali Minister of Finance and Economics [14]
Osman Ahmed Fadul Wash Minister of Technology, Development and Capacity-Building [15]
Abdul Hamid Ahmed Amin Justice and Reconciliation Commissioner [16]
Azhari Shatta Voluntary Return, Resettlement and Compensation Commissioner [17]

Leadership

Tenure Incumbent Party
23 April 2007 - 5 December 2010 Minni MinnawiSudan Liberation Movement/Army
5 December 2010 – 20 September 2011Shartai Jaafar Abdel HakamNational Congress Party
20 September 2011 – PresentTijani SeseLiberation and Justice Movement

Darfur Council

The Darfur Council will be made up of 66 Council Members drawn from the armed movements and the Darfur state legislatures. The Council met for the first time in January 2013 in Nyala, South Darfur. [18]

Permanent status of Darfur

The permanent status of the Darfur region was to be determined by a referendum planned for July 2011 in which the people of Darfur were to have the choice between "the creation of a Darfur Region composed of the three states" (there are now five states), with a constitution and regional government, or the retention of the status quo.[19][20][21] This referendum has since been postponed by at least one year.[22]

See also

References

  1. allAfrica.com: Sudan: The Transitional Darfur Regional Authority (Page 1 of 2)
  2. Darfur Peace Agreement
  3. People's Daily Online - Sudan forms transitional regional authority to implement Darfur peace deal
  4. http://news.yahoo.com/sudan-signs-peace-deal-darfur-rebel-group-173144432.html
  5. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16942578
  6. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/LSGZ-8C3MCC?OpenDocument
  7. http://195.190.28.213/node/7168
  8. http://www.sudantribune.com/IMG/pdf/DPA-_Doha_draft.pdf
  9. http://www.sudantribune.com/Darfur-peace-agreement-to-be,39449
  10. http://www.radiodabanga.org/node/18908
  11. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16942578
  12. http://www.sudantribune.com/IMG/pdf/DPA-_Doha_draft.pdf
  13. http://www.radiodabanga.org/node/16402
  14. http://www.radiodabanga.org/node/22949
  15. http://www.radiodabanga.org/node/43877
  16. http://www.radiodabanga.org/node/22949
  17. http://www.radiodabanga.org/node/38066
  18. http://www.radiodabanga.org/node/41575
  19. Sudan Tribune
  20. ENOUGH: A Strategy for Success in Sirte |Save Darfur
  21. http://www.shrig.org.sd/news-archive/darfur-news/2463-shartai-abdul-al-hakam-appointed-chairperson-of-darfur-transitional-authority-.html
  22. http://www.sudantribune.com/Sudan-and-LJM-rebels-agree-on-the,39344

External links

Darfur Regional Authority

Transitional Darfur Regional Authority

Media