Aid organisations report less displaced from Jebel Marra, Darfur

The number of newly displaced people from Jebel Marra has been decreasing according to aid organisations in North Darfur.

Humanitarian organisations continue to provide aid to an estimated 53,900 displaced people who have fled from the fighting and aerial bombardments in Jebel Marra since January this year. 22,600 people remain in Sortony in Kabkabiya locality, 25,211 people are in Tawila camp, 2,909 people are in Kabkabiya town and over 3,000 in Shadad camp.

According to the UN's humanitarian office (OCHA), this is a reduction of nearly 6,000 people compared to reported numbers of the preceding weeks. OCHA reports in its latest weekly bulletin that the amount of water available for the newly displaced in both Tawila and Sortony has improved.

Because of the ongoing fighting between government and rebel forces in Jebel Marra and nearby areas, the displaced people fled their homes to seek refuge at the African Union/UN Hybrid operation in Darfur (Unamid) Team Site in Sortony, about 50 kilometres southeast from Kabkabiya town.

Central Darfur

Sudan's Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) reported that 11,500 displaced people have returned from Guldo to Golo this week, in the outskirts of Jebel Marra in Central Darfur.

HAC announced plans to assist at least 5,300 people to return to Golo, from various locations in Central Darfur. 16,000 people are planned to return from Tawila.

In total, 2.6 million people remain displaced across Darfur, UN peacekeeping chief Hervé Ladsous said in his briefing to the Security Council on Tuesday. UN organisations have verified 80,000 people who have fled the armed conflict that began in January in Darfur's Jebel Marra. As many as 127,000 more people have been displaced, particularly in Central Darfur, but this number could not be verified because of lack of access.

The current security conditions in Darfur are not conducive to a large-scale return of displaced people to their places of origin, Ladsous added.