Darfur displaced reiterate their call for security and justice

The priorities for the displaced in Darfur are security on the ground, justice, and compensation.

Sheikh Ishag Abdallah, head of Kalma camp for the displaced in South Darfur, one of the largest camps in the region, said that the Darfur displaced insist on the extradiction of the five former government officials, including ousted President Omar Al Bashir, to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Furthermore, they demand the expulsion of new settlers from their lands, and collective and individual compensation for those affected by the civil war in the region that broke out in 2003.

Despite the regime change, practices such as murder, rape, and displacement continue to this day. – Sheikh Ishag Abdallah

As for security, this can only be achieved by disarming all militiamen armed by the defunct regime. “Despite the regime change, practices such as murder, rape, and displacement continue to this day. The violence affects everyone who leaves the camp and former displaced who returned to their villages in the area,” he stated.

The camp head said in an interview with Dabanga, as part of the radio’s transitional justice programme, that the extradition of the indicted officials to the International Criminal Court is a top priority for the displaced.

“The judiciary in Sudan cannot prosecute the perpetrators of the genocide,” he explained. “Furthermore, the Sudanese judiciary must be re-structured, in order to be impartial, fair, capable, and willing to try the rest of the other criminals locally.”

According to the sheikh, compensation should begin with the return of land to their owners and customary users. “Victims must further receive individual compensation for all losses suffered, including for their dead relatives, in addition to compensation for displacement.”

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