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| Africa Horn |
| European Union withdraws Darfur poll observers |
| 2010-04-08 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] The European Union said on Wednesday it was withdrawing its election observers from Sudan's Darfur region, saying safety fears were hindering their work. "I have decided to go back with all the team of six observers that were still in Darfur," EU head of mission Veronique de Keyser told reporters on the plane. "We've seen this show before. We just can't bear to watch." "It's always sad to leave this region which is such a poor region but I really knew when I came that to observe elections here, it's impossible in a credible way," she said. "There are many safety limitations." The pullout has put the credibility of Sudan's election further into doubt after a main opposition party widened its boycott of the vote. Sudan is days away from what should be its first multi-party presidential, legislative and gubernatorial elections in 24 years, but opposition parties have said the polls in Darfur will be a farce while a seven-year conflict continues in the region. The vote is a prelude to a referendum on southern independence scheduled for January 2011. The former southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement said late on Tuesday it was extending its boycott to include the northern states in Sudan including Darfur. But it said it would still field candidates in the sensitive border states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan, where the party enjoys support. Pagan Amum, the SPLM secretary general, lashed out at President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's National Congress Party, accusing it of intimidation. "The NCP continues to issue threats to observers and you can imagine if they are threatening observers to cut their limbs and noses, what will happen to Sudanese people," he said, in reference to statements Bashir had made. |
| Posted by:Fred |