For years, the SDA has refused to recognize or negotiate with these democratically elected representatives of the affected communities. Instead, the SDA has responded to popular protests with police violence that has led to protestor deaths and arrests. And while the Manasir earlier negotiated a resettlement plan acceptable to the communities with the government of Nile State, the SDA continues to insist that its unilaterally decided resettlement plan should prevail.

A number of foreign private companies are involved with Merowe, notably Lahmeyer (Germany) and Alstom (France), which provide overall project management and the power supply respectively. Efforts have been made to draw these and the other companies' attention to the host of human rights abuses arising in connection with Merowe.

In late 2007, Mr. Miloon Kothari, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, issued a statement calling for the companies to halt work on Merowe pending a full and independent investigation of Merowe's impact on the human rights of the affected communities. The request has gone unheeded.

The communities' claims

The demands of the communities today center around land ownership, compensation, relocation, and development. In the meantime, the communities want the government to facilitate access for U.N. human rights monitors to conduct an independent eviction-impact assessment mission, as urged by the Special Rapporteur on Housing.

The communities insist that resettlement be conducted pursuant to best international practices, and that they should therefore share in the benefits of Merowe through a resettlement plan negotiated with them, and to which they have given their assent. They further insist that the plan should include a development component; that those who are responsible for the killing of innocent farmers in the earlier protest be brought to justice; and that the government withdraw its army and police forces from the area.

Legal help for the Manasir

The Manasir Council recently asked EDLC for pro bono legal help in engaging those involved with Merowe to finally address the claims of the dam-affected peoples. EDLC has enlisted an international team of lawyers on both sides of the Atlantic to help, and the legal efforts are now underway.

The communities believe that the companies profiting from their involvement in the project should use their good offices, both directly and indirectly via their own governments, to encourage the government of Sudan to negotiate a mutually agreed upon resettlement program. As the United Nations itself has recommended, work on the project should be suspended until the various issues have been resolved. The people of the dam-affected communities are entitled to no less.

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Our own government is treating us like adversaries.

- Sudanese farmer displaced by the Merowe dam.