10,000 flee militia attacks on Darfur’s East Jebel Marra

About 10,000 people, displaced from East Jebel Marra arrived at the area of Tawila town in North Darfur on Saturday. They had fled from attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. A Tawila camp sheikh told Radio Dabanga that about 10,000 newly displaced arrived on Saturday evening, coming from the areas of Tarny, Khartoum Belleil, and Konjara in East Jebel Marra.   The escapees told the Tawila camp leaders that the “Rapid Support militias, led by Hemeti” had launched an attack on their areas on Saturday morning. “The Janjaweed set their villages on fire, and stole their money, belongings, and their livestock.” “A number of the newly displaced found refuge in the Dali and Argo camps in Tawila locality. Others are camping in the open, without shelter, food, water, or medicines, near the outskirts of Tawila.” The sheikh appealed to the Sudanese authorities and humanitarian organisations to accelerate the provision of relief to the newly displaced. File photo: Display of ordnance at Unamid headquarters in El Fasher, North Darfur, January 2014 (Albert Gonzalez Farran/Unamid) Related:US concern over escalation of violence in South Darfur (9 March 2014) Rapid Support Forces welcomed in South Darfur capital; rebels accused of attacks (4 March 2014) Thousands displaced in attack on more than 35 villages in South Darfur (28 February 2014) ‘Rapid Support Forces in Darfur to fight rebels’: General (26 February 2014)