N. Darfur omda: government is trapping civilians in East Jebel Marra

Omda Ahmed Ateem, coordinator of North Darfur camps for displaced, declared the government has closed off all access ways to East Jebel Marra, North Darfur, trapping civilians in the area.Speaking to Radio Dabanga on Thursday, 10 January, he said that citizens are now prevented from fleeing to nearby displaced camps like Zam Zam and Tawila. According to Ateem, this is a strategy of the government to keep civilians living under “deteriorating humanitarian circumstances” in order to “wipe them out”, as there is not any kind of control in the area and the movement of UNAMID is restricted. Residents of East Jebel Marra are suffering as a result of the continuous aerial strikes carried out by the Sudanese air force, the omda claimed. He said the shelling is focused on civilian areas, such as villages, water sources and farms. “Livestock are killed and water supplies are destroyed, leaving citizens without any kind of provision”, Ateem asserted. The following villages are being persistently targeted by the government, according to the omda: Fanga, Aradib El-Ashara, North Darfur, and Hasina though Jilbat, Golo and Jildu, Central Darfur. He said the current situation is worse than in 2003 when the war started and that people “no longer have a reason to live”. In addition, medicine, food and basic provisions are lacking, which is negatively affecting women and children in particular, Ateem stated to Radio Dabanga. The omda urgently called on international organizations and on the UN Security Council to immediately intervene and stop the “genocide” of civilians in East Jebel Marra. He also called on the UN Security Council to implement its resolutions on Darfur and protect its citizens.Radio Dabanga file photoRelated: ‘Violations, aggression’ continue in East Jebel Marra (4 January 2013)