‘More protection against violence’: North Darfur’s displaced

The displaced people living in camps in North Darfur have welcomed the United States’ condemnation of the violence in Darfur, but demanded “more robust procedures by activating the Security Council resolutions”. “The resolutions on Darfur should be implemented on the ground in deeds, not words”, Omda Ahmed Ateem Osman, the coordinator of the North Darfur camps for the internally displaced, told Radio Dabanga. In a press statement released on Wednesday, the US Department of State strongly condemned the attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) belonging to Sudan’s security apparatus on a large number of areas of villages in South and North Darfur, and the Khor Abeche camp for the displaced in East Darfur, the Sudanese Air Force bombardments on East Jebel Marra, and violence used by the rebel movements. “We urge all parties to immediately halt attacks against civilians, and further call upon the Government of Sudan to prevent further violence, particularly the indiscriminate attacks committed by government-sponsored militias, such as the RSF, and to cease its own campaign of aerial bombardments”, the statement read. ‘Strengthen Unamid mandate’ However, the displaced people living in North Darfur camps felt the statement came too late, according to the Omda. “The UN Security Council is required to hold an emergency session to protect civilians, provide relief, and strengthen the mandate of the AU-UN Mission in Darfur (Unamid). So that they can protect themselves and the civilians in Darfur, as well as provide relief and humanitarian aid to the trapped civilians and displaced persons in the region.” Nearly 200,000 newly displaced According to a report on the humanitarian situation in Darfur from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 196,620 people are newly internally displaced by conflict in 2014. Most have fled from fighting in North and South Darfur. OCHA reported that only five percent of the total affected population in eastern North Darfur has received some form of humanitarian assistance. “Humanitarian response to date has been limited to the areas with humanitarian access, which means that in eastern North Darfur, about 95 percent of the population, estimated at 81,758 people, remains out of reach.” OCHA assessed, among others, the displacement by rebel forces in El Taweisha locality, North Darfur; the displacement by the RSF in Um Gunja area, South Darfur, on 27 and 28 February; and the displacement by Musa Hilal’s militias in Saraf Omra, North Darfur. According to the humanitarian office, 81,758 have fled from El Taweisha, 68,211 from Um Gunja, and 11,641 were displaced from Saraf Omra town. File photo: Unamid officers near Zamzam camp, North Darfur (Unamid) Related: ‘No humanity in North Darfur at all’: civil societies (28 March 2014)US concern over escalation of violence in Darfur (27 March 2014) Darfur conflicts displace 100,000 in one week (12 March 2014)