Darfur Association warns for widespread govt. attacks

The Darfur Displaced and Refugees Association has warned the people in Darfur, South Kordofan, and the Blue Nile, for the military “dry season offensive”, announced by the Sudanese government. A number of villages in Tawila, north of East Jebel Marra, burned down to the ground this week.

Speaking to Radio Dabanga, Hussein Abu Sharati, the spokesman for the Darfur Displaced and Refugees Association, warned that the military campaign will come at the expense of the citizens in the war-torn regions. “The current dry season military campaign will not target the armed movements,” Abu Sharati stressed. “The government forces will murder, rape, and rob villagers instead, as we witnessed in the past.”

The spokesman urged all displaced farmers to immediately return to their camps. “If they need to finish their harvesting, they should take only the simplest tools and belongings with them.”

“This year has been the worst one for the displaced until now, also because the government is determined to expel all international humanitarian organisations.”

He furthermore appealed to the Darfuris not to respond to the mobilisation of new militia recruits, and called on imams and Muslim sheikhs to pray that the dry season operations will fire back on the government.

“This year has been the worst one for the displaced until now”, Abu Sharati said, “as not only the violence against them increased significantly, but also because the government is determined to expel all international humanitarian organisations, and Sudanise all relief”.

A number of villages north of East Jebel Marra were pillaged and torched early this week. "Elements of the Rapid Support Forces, together with militiamen on camelback, pillaged and torched the villages of Arasho, Sharafa, Tangarar, Abed, Wad Ali, Golma, Hillet Massalit, and Jawa, in Tawila locality, North Darfur”.

“The villagers had already fled to Shangil Tobaya camp, and to Zamzam camp near El Fasher, capital of North Darfur,” he noted, calling on the UN to intervene, and protect the civilians.