114,585 Jebel Marra displaced in North Darfur alone: OCHA

As of 20 March, an estimated 114,584 displaced people from Jebel Marra have reportedly taken refuge in Kabkabiya and Tawila localities, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan reported today. Aid organisation are working to meet their needs.

In total, an estimated 129,200 newly displaced have reportedly taken refuge in North, Central and South Darfur, OCHA states in its latest weekly bulletin. According to the Sudanese Humanitarian Aid Commission in Central Darfur, more than 13,000 displaced people from Jebel Marra were registered. Almost 2,000 displaced fled to South Darfur.

Tawila camps

An activist told Radio Dabanga from Tawila town that at least 170 families who fled the military operations and aerial bombardments on their villages in Jebel Marra reached Tawila between Saturday and Tuesday.

He said that the people, among them many women and children, arrived in a dire condition. “They were taken to the new camp close to the town, where the about 9,000 newly displaced are still living in the open.”

OCHA reported in its bulletin this week that the number of reported displaced from Jebel Marra in Tawila reached 39,300.

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) sent 500 clean delivery kits to the two clinics in Tawila. One clinic is run by Doctors without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières-Spain (MSF-E) and the other by the Sudanese SAKER Voluntary Organisation.

MSF-E has reported 26 whooping cough cases among the new displaced in Tawila. The World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested conducting a Penta 3 vaccination campaign (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, hepatitis B, and inactivated polio) to contain the disease.

An estimated 4,495 people from Jebel Marra have taken refuge in Shangil Tobaya’s Shadad camp for the displaced. The Sudanese Dar Al Salam Development Association (DDA) distributed some essential household and hygiene supplies and built 10 out of the 50 latrines planned. The WFP registered and verified 2,000 displaced in Shangil Tobaya through the distribution of emergency food.

Kabkabiya locality

The 68,335 displaced who sought protection near the Unamid team site in Sortony have received food aid from the World Food Programme (WFP). The food was distributed by the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) to both the registered people and the new arrivals who have yet to be registered.

The water supply has improved, with the displaced receiving 3.2 litres per person per day this week. The improvement was mainly due to the provision of water by lorries from Kabkabiya town. However, on 17 March the water supply declined again because of the reported refusal of water truck owners to travel to Kabkabiya without an escort.

Oxfam America has built 200 out of the 1,000 latrines planned, the OCHA bulletin reads. This brings the total number of latrines available in the area to 700, with one latrine serving 89 people.

In addition to the three clinics already in Sortony, the national NGO Al Massar is currently building a new clinic to provide additional health and nutrition assistance. The clinic is expected to be running by the end of the week and will be supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the North Darfur Ministry of Health. MSF-E reports that their clinic receives an average of 200 consultations per day.

In Kabkabiya town, 2,018 newly displaced were registered by a task force of eight organisations, and verified by the WFP through emergency food distributions.

OCHA map of Jebel Marra