January 17, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The former Sudanese Prime Minister al-Sadiq al-Mahdi visited the city of al-Damer in the Nile River state and met with representatives of the al-Manasir tribal community who have been staging a sit-in for weeks demanding compensation for their displacement that resulted from the construction of the Merowe dam.

Former Sudanese Prime Minister al-Sadiq al-Mahdi

The construction of Merowe dam on the Fourth cataract of the River Nile, 350 kilometers north of Khartoum, has displaced more than 100,000 local persons belonging to three riverian communities, Al Hamdab, Amri and Al-Manasir.

The visit came amid instructions by Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir to the governor of the state al-Hadi Abdullah to implement an agreement reached with Manasir which incorporates a combination of monetary payments, building new homes, establishing agricultural projects for the Manasir and providing services such as electricity and roads.

Abdullah said that the accord is in the implementation phase and that following Bashir’s directive it should be resolved which means that there is no reason for the Manasir to continue their protests in al-Damer.

But many of the al-Manasir have reportedly rejected this agreement and expressed doubts that the government will honor its commitments.

Al-Mahdi met today with officials in al-Damer and Manasir representatives to discuss their grievances after receiving the go-ahead from the government. The authorities last week blocked other opposition figures from going to the area saying the matter is not a political one.

Sudan state media quoted Mahdi as saying that he will cooperate with all sides in the government to deescalate tensions and urged the implementation of promises made to al-Manasir. He lauded the peaceful mean by which the Manasir expressed their views saying it is a form of “soft power”.

The former PM also hailed the government’s efforts to resolve the matter adding the mistrust gap deepened the rift.

(ST)