Darfuri refugees join protest in Tunisia

A group of approximately 300 refugees, 130 of them from Darfur, have staged a sit-down protest after Tunisian authorities reportedly cut the water supply to Shousha refugee camp. A spokesman for the refugees, Imad Mohamed Hassan Sagiroun, explained to Radio Dabanga that the refugees resorted to this protest because the water supply to the camp in southeast Tunisia has been cut since 30 June. “The Human Rights Commission refused to intervene to end the situation,” he said, explaining that many of the refugees fled to Tunisia during the Libyan war that ousted the Gaddafi regime. He described the situation of the refugees as “difficult, especially for the children and pregnant women”. “We insist that we will not leave the camp until we die, or are resettled in other countries like our brothers who have been resettled in the past,” he said. Sagiroun also alleged that “the Tunisian authorities treat us with disrespect”. The protesters have appealed to international organisations as well as the UN High Commission for Refugees to intervene and protect the Sudanese refugees. File photo Related: Darfuri refugees protesting in southeast Tunisia (3 October 2012)