Protests in Adila against the appointment of Ma’aliya commissioners, parliamentarians, and ministers in East Darfur continued over the weekend.
On Thursday, hundreds of Ma’aliya tribesmen took to the streets to demonstrate against the arrival of the new state appointees, who were sworn-in in East Darfur’s capital Ed Daein earlier that day.
They blocked state government institutions, rejecting the appointments, saying first the violent conflicts between the Ma’aliya and Rizeigat in the state must be addressed. Many Ma’aliya officials had withdrawn from the state government during an earlier bout of violence in the state.
The peaceful protesters blocked access to Adila market and governmental institutions on Saturday, an activist reported to Radio Dabanga. On Sunday, they prevented the new Adila locality Commissioner, Mohamed Mahmoud Sharif, from assuming his duties.
Photo: Ma’aliya demonstration in Adila, 31 August 2014 (file photo)