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25 May 2009 The Organisation of Islamic
Conference (OIC) has announced plans to construct 120
villages in the battered Darfur region of Western
Sudan at the cost of $485 million US Dollars.
The Secretary-General of the organization, Dr.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, made the announcement through a
joint statement issued by the leaders of the African
Union (AU), the Arab League and the OIC after
closed-door talks with President Omar Al-Bashir in
Khartoum, Tuesday.
Dr. Jean Ping, AU Commission Chairman, Mr. Amr
Moussa, Arab League Secretary-General, and Dr.
Ihsanoglu were in Khartoum on a two-day visit on the
invitation of President Al-Bashir in keeping with
their commitment to coordinating efforts towards
ending the 6-year-old Darfur crisis.
The OIC chief also said in the joint statement that
the organization would hold a special meeting of its
member-countries dedicated to the Darfur peace process
and development. He did not say when the construction
of the villages would commence.
During the meeting with President Al-Bashir and
other Sudanese officials, the principles of the three
organizations, according to the statement, discussed
the political development, humanitarian and security
situations in the 3-state war-wrecked region and the
implication of the International Criminal Court (ICC)
warrant of arrest on Al-Bashir, among other crucial
issues.
They reiterated their call on the rebel movements
in Darfur to join the peace process, calling on the
international community to exert pressure on the
recalcitrant parties to drop their confrontational and
hard-line stance and join the peace process for the
common good of all.
Sudan denies reports of rebel
gains
Meanwhile, the Sudanese military has denied reports
that a rebel group seized control of a military base
near the border with Chad, reports said on Monday.
The joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping
mission in Darfur (UNAMID) on Sunday said that the
Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) had taken Um Baru,
about 100 kilometres from the Chad border.
However, the Sudan Tribune cited army spokesperson
Mohamed Osman Al-Agbash as saying the JEM attack had
been repelled.
The rebels took Kornoi, 50km west of Um Baru, the
previous week.
A new round of peace talks between JEM and the
Sudanese government is set to get underway on
Wednesday in Doha, Qatar.
According to the United Nations, as many as 300 000
people have died and two million have been displaced
in six years of conflict in Darfur.
EsinIslam.Com
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