Yusuf Ahmed Yusuf, a member of Sudan’s National Legislative Assembly, has accused the governor of Sennar of misappropriation of money allocated by the national government to the resettlement process of the returned herders and farmers in the state.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj yesterday, the lawmaker who is representing Abu Hajar Wed El Nil Mazmum constituency in Sennar said about 40,000 herders and farmers returned to Sennar besides nearly 4,000 others in Blue Nile with over 20,000 head of cattle.

He echoed earlier reports that the returnees were facing shortages of water, basic services and lack of education besides the lack of pastures for cattle at Kokari area and the other sites.

The official warned against a deteriorating humanitarian situation of returnees, owing to the absence of a clear policy by the state government.

Ahmed claimed that an amount of 300 million SDG was approved in 2013 for the resettlement of the returnees by the former First Vice President Ali Osman Taha.

He further revealed that other 5 million SDG for emergency cases and about 25 million Sudanese Pounds were approved in 2014

“In spite of this, the government of Sennar did not provide any services to the nomads and farmers,” he said.

For his part, the governor of Sennar state Ahmed Abbas at a media forum held on Tuesday in Khartoum dismissed the claims and accused the parliamentarian of arming the herders in order to stir up sedition among pastoralists in the area and create tensions with farmers.

Reacting to the accusations, Yusuf said the governor was a liar. He instead accused him of misappropriation of money allocated to the returnees.

“You see, the recent decision taken by the presidency to resettle the nomads and farmers who returned back to Sennar, was because the governor neglected to provide services to them,” he told Radio Tamazuj.