From Daily Trust by Uthman Abubakar, 22 May 2009 via AllAfrica:
Sudan: OIC to Build 120 Darfur Villages At U.S. $485 Million
The Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) has announced plans to construct 120 villages in the battered Darfur region of Western Sudan at the cost of $485 million US Dollars.
The Secretary-General of the organization, Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, made the announcement through a joint statement issued by the leaders of the African Union (AU), the Arab League and the OIC after closed-door talks with President Omar Al-Bashir in Khartoum, Tuesday.
Dr. Jean Ping, AU Commission Chairman, Mr. Amr Moussa, Arab League Secretary-General, and Dr. Ihsanoglu were in Khartoum on a two-day visit on the invitation of President Al-Bashir in keeping with their commitment to coordinating efforts towards ending the 6-year-old Darfur crisis.
The OIC chief also said in the joint statement that the organization would hold a special meeting of its member-countries dedicated to the Darfur peace process and development. He did not say when the construction of the villages would commence.
During the meeting with President Al-Bashir and other Sudanese officials, the principles of the three organizations, according to the statement, discussed the political development, humanitarian and security situations in the 3-state war-wrecked region and the implication of the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant of arrest on Al-Bashir, among other crucial issues.
They reiterated their call on the rebel movements in Darfur to join the peace process, calling on the international community to exert pressure on the recalcitrant parties to drop their confrontational and hard-line stance and join the peace process for the common good of all.
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