Situation of Central Darfur displaced ‘rapidly deteriorating’

The living conditions of about 187,000 displaced in the six camps near Zalingei, capital of Central Darfur, are rapidly deteriorating.

“The people in the area and the displaced in particular do not only suffer from the rampant insecurity and the expulsion of humanitarian organisations, but also from soaring prices, an increase in income taxes, and the banning of street vendors from the market,” the coordinator of Central Darfur camps told Radio Dabanga.

He said that the situation started to escalate after the Zalingei locality authorities ordered the removal of a number of stalls from the Zalingei Market, and banned the street vendors from the market.

“The situation may become disastrous if no radical solutions are found soon.”

“Moreover, the locality, the traffic police, the Zakat Chamber, and the Central Darfur Veterinary Department, are charging fees up to SDG65 ($11) a week on donkey cart drivers.

“The brick-making jobs for the Environment Protection Department were stopped too, so the employment opportunities, both in the locality and in the informal sector, have diminished significantly,” he explained.

“The situation in El Hamidiya, El Hasahisa, Khamsa Degaig, Teiba, El Salam, and Kandagara camps may become disastrous if no radical solutions are found soon.”