956 families fleeing clashes arrive in Darfur camp

Kalma camp’s sheikh in South Darfur announced the arrival of 956 families to the site, or some 5,000 people, who are fleeing clashes in the vicinity between government forces and rebel groups. Ali Tahir said most displaced come from Umm Gunja, Labado, Muhajeriya, Hijer and Birka Teli. They are joining over 100,000 displaced who already live in Kalma. He disclosed to Radio Dabanga on Thursday that people continue arriving on a daily basis to the camp, which is “threatening” the already fragile humanitarian situation in the area. According to Tahir, Kalma only counts with three NGOs to cater for its thousands of residents. He stressed the agencies would not be able to accommodate and provide aid to the new arrivals, adding the camp is facing a severe water and food crisis. The 5,000 new displaced are currently sleeping on the ground and they have little shelter to protect themselves from the heat of the sun. Poor humanitarian conditions in Kalma are causing the spread of diseases which “may lead to deaths among children”, Tahir said. He is calling for action from the UN and from other aid agencies to “urgently” address the situation. The towns of Labado and Muhajeriya in East Darfur have been the stage of armed dispute between the rebel movement SLA-MM and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).  UNAMID says 18,000 displaced civilians have been concentrated around its team sites near both towns since clashes began two weeks ago.   Another UN agency put the number at 36,000, based on estimates by the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC).File photo: aerial view of Kalma campRelated: SAF, rebels lay mutual blames for violence in Darfur town takeover (17 April 2013)