North Darfur: 10,000 families newly displaced this week

Conflict in El Tina locality on the border with Chad, as well as friction between farmers and herders in Kabkabiya locality, have displaced more than 10,000 families in North Darfur this week, according to Sudan’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC).

Humanitarian Aid Coordinator Ibrahim Ahmed Hamid told the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA) that a conflict had occurred in the Chadian El Tina region during the past days, pushing 3,185 families into the Sudanese El Tina. These include Chadian families.

A further 6,847 families have moved to Sortony camp after frictions between farmers and herders in the Kabkabiya locality, Hamid says.

Yesterday, the acting governor of North Darfur, Maj Gen Malik El Tayeb Khojali, inspected the conditions of Sudanese refugees returning from the country of Chad to the locality on the border between Sudan and Chad.

As reported by Radio Dabanga on February 9, people newly displaced during the recent violence in El Geneina in West Darfur who have been sheltering in government institutions have reiterated their complaints about the poor humanitarian conditions and the lack of water and food. The UN Refugee agency (UNHCR) has confirmed the transfer of more than 300 newly displaced people to a refugee camp in Chad.

In a statement, the UNHCR confirmed that the recent violence in El Geneina caused more than 11,000 people to flee as refugees into neighbouring Chad since last month. 4,000 of them fled during last week alone and it is estimated that the clashes have displaced some 46,000 internally. The statement includes these newly displaced people in need of urgent help. “However, the rate of refugee arrivals risks outpacing our capacity,” the statement said.