Deadly attack on Otash camp in South Darfur

An attack by gunmen on Otash camp for the displaced in Nyala, capital of South Darfur, in Tuesday evening has left one man dead, and a woman injured. Angry residents closed the main road between Nyala and the North Darfur capital El Fasher to condemn the incident.

Sheikh Abdelrazek of Otash camp told Radio Dabanga that gunmen in a Land Cruiser opened fire on the camp. Abdelrahman Hamid (38) was killed, and Soraya Adam (35) was wounded on Tuesday evening in an attack launched by gunmen on Otash camp for internally displaced people in Nyala, capital of South Darfur.

The sheikh says that the perpetrators then fled the scene, leaving the residents of the camp in a state of panic.

The Executive Director of Nyala North locality, Abusufyan Abdullah, said that the gunmen opened fire in the northern side of the camp after some young men voiced disapproval at their presence. He promised to take the necessary measures to provide security for the displaced in the camp and protect their property. He said that the camp falls under the jurisdiction of the Humanitarian Aid Commission, explaining that the locality will carry out protection measures outside the camp. He appealed to the people of the camp to resort to the voice of reason.

The General Administration of IDPs and Refugee Camps said that what is happening in the amps in South Darfur is a similar scheme to what is happening in West Darfur, which has seen extensive violence over the last week.

In a statement, the administration described the security situation in the Kalma, Atash, El Salam and Derej camps in South Darfur as “fragile, dangerous, and potentially explosive’. It demanded that the security committee in the state fulfil its responsibilities in protecting the camps. It also called on the United Nations and the UN Security Council to take a decisive stance towards the perpetrators of war crimes in Darfur and hand them over to the International Criminal Court.