East Jebel Marra villages cleared: Three Darfur children die

Three children who were among the people who fled militia attacks on their villages in East Jebel Marra last week, died on Saturday. The villagers who sought refuge near Tabit were ordered to leave because the First Vice President will visit the area next Tuesday.

A father of one of the dead children told Radio Dabanga that Abdelkarim Awad Adam (3), Mukhtar Adam Yousef (3), and Yahya Eisa Saleh (2) died of “exhaustion and the biting cold” on the outskirts of Tabit.

He noted that dozens of children and elderly are at risk of dying from the cold and a lack of food and medicine.

Tabit

The source further reported the arrival of large numbers of villagers to Tabit today (Sunday).

“They fled militia attacks on the villages of Abo, Hillet Ahmed, and Tereteira. The people said that security agents and policemen beat and whipped them when they wanted to make camp on the way to Tabit. The government forces told them to join their relatives in the camps for the displaced near Tawila, Shangil Tobaya, or Zamzam camp near El Fasher.”

He added that security officers in three vehicles arrived at Tabit on Friday. “They came from El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, and ordered us to leave the area immediately, because First Vice-President Bakri Hassan Saleh is supposed to visit the area on Tuesday.”

The mourning father said that they do not know how to carry on, and urged relief organisations to intervene “as soon as possible” to save their lives.

Missing

About 7,400 people reportedly lost their homes in attacks on the villages of Dali, Koto, Korofallah and Hashaba last Wednesday and Thursday.

A number of villagers went missing during the raids. The relatives of Zakaria Ahmed Ibrahim (50), Ismail Haroun (48), Yousef Saleh (42), Gamareldin Haroun (40), Yagoub Adam Yahya (30), Sadia Omar Ishag (22), Aisha Hamid Yousef, Abakar Haroun Saleh, and Adam Yahya Omar have not seen them since they fled their villages.

Siege

The siege on Dali on Thursday was carried out by militant Abbala tribesmen, who claimed that a dead affiliate of theirs, found in the vicinity of the village, was killed by residents. They denied anyone exit or entrance to Dali.

Several villagers reported to Radio Dabanga today that the militiamen are still holding a number of people in Dali.