‘40%’ of Umm Dukhun’s population fled Sudan to Chad

Multiple sources affirm that more than 40 percent of the population of Umm Dukhun town and surrounding villages in Central Darfur fled to Chad due to violent fighting between various groups in the area. Prior to the tribal conflicts, the area of Umm Dukhun had about 125,000 inhabitants, being most them displaced and refugees themselves, according to estimations by local witnesses and activists. Pro-government militias are said to have confiscated “all possessions” from residents of Umm Dukhun and surrounding villages in the last days, including their “eating and drinking utensils”.   Besides, militants are threatening attack those on the run inside the Chadian territory if they do not return to Umm Dukhun, sources told Radio Dabanga on Tuesday. According to witnesses, the following villages are “totally” deserted: Jenino, Hillet Ashara, Hai Salama and Hai El Majma. They said militias have recently looted many shops and houses in these communities. Its inhabitants have largely fled to the Chadian tows of Kalmat El Medina, Rmalyah, Tamasieh, Gaddar, Umm Hijair, and Kulliya.   Until two weeks ago, at least 50,000 people had fled Sudan to Chad due to fighting between various groups in Central Darfur. UNHCR called it the largest influx of people from Darfur to Chad since 2005. The town of Tissi has received some 23,000 Sudanese and 16,000 Chadians, according to a UNHCR monitoring team working with Chad government officials along a 60-kilometre stretch of border areas. Citizens are fleeing tribal clashes that erupted some two weeks ago in Umm Dukhun when a Misseriya tribesman allegedly tried looting and opening fire on a Salamat man, who was not hurt. Violent hostilities erupted the next day when 4,000 men of both sides began battling each other. In the meantime, fighting has spread north and to South Darfur. Salamat’s house invaded On Monday evening, Misseriya militias have allegedly invaded the house of the deputy chief of the Salamat tribe in Umm Dukhun. In the attack, one policeman was killed and two persons were kidnapped. Salamat chief Haj Osman Mohamed Adam Al Dwaid said a Misseriya armed group driving a Land Cruiser mounted with Dushkas carried out the assault. The chief’s nephew Suwar Mohamed Ali Zakaria was hurt and two comrades were kidnapped after a fire exchange. Policeman Fadul Ibhrahim was killed when confronting the insurgents, Al Dwaid said. Omar Ali and Abdul Rahim Bidey were held captive until Tuesday and were subjected to “intense interrogation and torture”, the Salamat chief said. Al Dwaid noted that the attack on his house was “a clear breach of the cessation of hostilities agreement signed between both tribes” in South and Central Darfur weeks ago. Refugees transferred to hospital The International Community of Red Cross (ICRC) announced it transferred “18 seriously injured people from Darfur … to Abéché Hospital, in eastern Chad” over the past two weeks. “Because we have a surgical team at the regional hospital in Abéché, the main medical facility in eastern Chad, we naturally offered to provide care for the most severely injured patients,” said Hélène Plennevaux, head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Abéché. Meanwhile, a team of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Chad is reportedly relocating thousands of Sudanese and Chadian refugees who fled the tribal clashes to safer areas, such as refugee camps.Map: Umm Dukhun, Central Darfur (OCHA- cropped)Related:UNHCR relocating Sudan refugees to ‘safer areas’ in Chad (23 April 2013)500 Salamat families ‘deported’ from South Darfur town (16 April 2013)