The Water Sector Administration in North Darfur has called on the Sudan Liberation Movement for Peace and Development to improve water, sanitation, and environmental conditions to bolster public health in the eastern and northern regions of Jebel Marra.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj over the weekend, Engineer Abdul Shafi Abdullah Adam, the state’s water sector director, said they held a meeting with a delegation from the Sudan Liberation Movement for Peace and Development, led by General Al-Sadiq Al-Faka, and attended by the project director for water and environmental sanitation, as well as the projects and planning director.
The meeting, he said, addressed the declining state of water, environmental sanitation, and health services in areas including Martal, Dobo, Kator, and Bali to the east of Jebel Marra, and in other northern regions such as Tibera, Karta, Sambal, and Fanqa, as well as a vast area approximately 60 km west of El Fasher.
Adam emphasized that the movement identified a pressing need in these areas to refurbish aging water facilities, encompassing large and medium water pumps and stations. Additionally, there is a focus on the rehabilitation of dams and excavations, along with the exploration of options to introduce new water facilities and potentially transition from diesel to alternative energy sources for cost-effectiveness in maintenance and operations.
During the meeting, Adam said he also discussed potential interventions from water partners and humanitarian organizations in improving water, environmental sanitation, and health services in the mentioned areas.
The official confirmed that the movement expressed its willingness to streamline procedures for organizations working in these areas, collaborating with relevant authorities, including the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Nour.
Following the eruption of war last April, the Sudan Liberation Movement, under the leadership of Abdel Wahid Nur, extended its operations beyond its usual control areas in Jebel Marra, seizing control of several regions, including Tawila locality in North Darfur.