IDPs demonstrate against air attacks; refugee hangs himself

Hundreds of displaced persons in camp near Zalingei last Friday morning protested against continuing government attacks in the North Darfur and east of Jebel Marra. They also condemned the decision by the Wali of South Darfur to expel Medecins du Monde from the region. One of the displaced recounted that the demonstration was coordinated by a number of camps in Zalingei. Many people from the town also joined the protesters, who demanded that the international community and the United Nations act to stop abuses in Darfur. They also called for the urgent return of humanitarian organizations that had been expelled. They further called on Sudanese to go out to the streets and demonstrate to topple the regime, as happened in Tunisia and Egypt.

On the same day, a young man from the Zamzam camp for displaced persons near El Fasher committed suicide. He hanged himself on a rope over a tree at a distance of half a kilometre from the camp. He had been shocked to learn what happened to his family, which was forced to flee their village due to aerial bombardment and invasion of government forces. A witnesses said that thousands of newly displaced people coming to Zamzam are affected by shock and some of them are screaming at night. Others are affected by depression or horror at what they’ve seen.