Sudan president vows to make Darfur region free of arms

KHARTOUM - Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Wednesday vowed to take arms collection as priority in Darfur region, warning of manifestation of security disturbance there, official SUNA news agency reported.

He reiterated that the government would not tolerate any manifestation of security disturbance in Darfur.

Al-Bashir on Wednesday met in Khartoum with North Darfur State Governor Abdul-Wahid Yousif.

Following the meeting, Yousif said al-Bashir informed him with the necessity of continuation of arms collection as a step towards eliminating arms from Darfur region.

The president further directed the governor to preserve the security and stability achieved, the report said.

Al-Bashir also directed the governor to work for resettlement of displaced people and tackle the security and humanitarian situation.

On Aug 7, the Sudanese government launched a campaign for collecting arms and unlicensed vehicles in Sudan's Darfur region.

During a visit to Darfur states last year, al-Bashir stressed the country's determination to collect arms in the region and divided the project into two phases, the first through financial compensation for each piece collected and the second through a compulsory law that included punishment to the violators.

Earlier, the government announced formation of a High Committee for collection of arms and unlicensed vehicles.