Civil society groups operating in Sudan’s Darfur region will be allowed to carry out unhindered voter education activities ahead of national elections scheduled for next year, the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission to Darfur (UNAMID) reported today.UNAMID said the National Elections Commission (NEC) has given an assurance to the mission that the civic organizations can conduct voter education without restriction or interference from either Sudan’s National Intelligence Security Service (NISS) or the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC).
During the pre-election period, the civic organizations will operate under the auspices of the NEC, with which the NISS and HAC will raise any concerns they have about the groups’ activities.
NEC also informed the peacekeeping mission that it has completed the demarcation of the national and state constituencies for the upcoming elections, which are slated to take place in April 2010.
All election-related activities in the months ahead must also be cleared by committees established in each one of Darfur’s states.
Source: UN News Centre
