Chad detains displaced Darfuris for ‘penetrating border’

Three residents of a West Darfur camp located near the Chadian border were detained on Tuesday by authorities of that country claiming they had “penetrated the border”. However, a leader of camp Armankul, where the three detainees live, said the displaced were detained in Ardiba, Sudan, as they collected wood “to rebuild their homes destroyed by rains.” Bina Mohammad Yahiya, Osman Tor, and Al Sadig Al Toam have since been taken to Forchana, in Chad, the camp’s leader told Radio Dabanga. He said that the Armankul sheikhs sent a delegation to Chad to discuss the release of the three people. They were “surprised” when Chadian authorities asked them to pay SDG35,000 ($8,000) to free the displaced. Residents of Armankul appealed to government authorities to immediately intervene for the release of the detainees. “We do not have a daily income and are not able to pay the requested amount,” they said. On Monday, residents of four camps in the vicinity were injured after heavy rainfall in the area. The affected camps were Armankul, Kondobe, Bir Dageeg and Saraf Jidad. The victims were taken to a hospital. A camp activist appealed to all organisations to provide plastic sheets for the displaced people as most of them do not have protection against the sun and rain. He stressed that organisations stopped providing them with plastic sheets three years ago.File photo (UNHCR)Related: Rain damages houses in Zalingei camps, Central Darfur (28 May 2013)