Darfur’s Zam Zam camp population explodes by 83000 since January

The number of refugees who arrived at Zam Zam camp between 25 January and 13 March reached 83,000. The new arrivals came from the areas East Jebel Marra, Shangil Tobaya, Shaddad, Tutumarre, Wadi Murra, Mashru Sag Al Na’am and Abu Deleig.The refugees from these regions comprise the populations of dozens of villages affected by aerial bombardment and militia attacks orchestrated by the government.

One of the community activists in Zam Zam camp said that the number of the registered new IDPs up until yesterday was 58,000 while another 25,000 have not yet been registered. He explained that only 4,000 of the total refugees have received any assistance so far. He stressed that newly displaced people are arriving at the camp every day.

The total population of Zam Zam Camp at present is over 200.000 people. Community leaders at the camp have appealed to aid organizations and the international community to take action to help the displaced.

On Saturday three children died in the camp, and yesterday another two died. According to the community activist, the mortality rate among children is high, about 5 to 6 children per week due to malnutrition and diarrhea. He said that the camp faces a shortage of drugs and medical care due to the sudden and massive expansion in the number of newly displaced people.

Food prices at Zam Zam have risen dramatically, by approximately 100%. A pound of sugar costs SDG 2.5, a bottle of cooking oil costs SDG 5, and a kilo of meat SDG 20.