‘South Darfur State governor a liar’: Kalma elders

The death toll in the attack on peaceful demonstrators in Kalma camp for the displaced in Nyala locality, South Darfur, on Friday, has risen to eight. The governor of South Darfur State told Unamid and the press on Saturday that the protests were incited by a rebel group. “On Saturday, Sheikheldin Hussein Adam Jami (2 months), Mubarak Muhamed Ali (3), Hawa Mohamed Abdallah (8), and Khatra Awad Abdel Jalil (80) died of injuries sustained during the attack by government forces on the demonstrators on Friday”, Yagoub Mohamed Abdallah, the general coordinator of the Association of Darfur Displaced and Refugees reported to Radio Dabanga. On Friday, four displaced were killed instantly, and 39 sustained various injuries when government forces attempted to disperse a mass demonstration of tens of thousands of Kalma camp residents with batons, tear gas, and live ammunition. The people protested against repeated raids on the camp by government forces during the past weeks, allegedly to search the camp for weapons, alcohol, and drugs. Weekly Bielel market “On the same day, eight displaced of the camp disappeared,” the coordinator added. He explained that after the mass demonstrations at Kalma camp on Friday, government forces attacked the weekly Bielel market. “They used tear gas and live bullets to disperse the market visitors, consisting of displaced, Arab nomads, and people of the surrounding villages.” “During this attack, eight residents of Kalma camp went missing. One of them turned up again on Saturday. Besides, Sharif Abdel Rahim Ismail (14), Kaltouma Suleiman Omar (11), and Seifeldin Yahya Omar (9) were taken by security forces to an unknown destination.    Protests continuing On Saturday, tens of thousands residents of Kalma camp demonstrated for the third day in a row against the repeated raids of the camp by government forces and the detention of camp leaders and activists, which, they say “are in fact attempts to dismantle the camp”. The demonstrators chanted slogans like “The people want the demise of the regime”, “No, no to the government! Revolution until we overcome!”, “Shame on Unamid, Unamid should leave!”, and “No to aerial bombardments.” No confidence in Unamid A Unamid delegation met on Sunday with leaders and sheikhs of Kalma camp to discuss the developments at the camp. “The delegation included the Director of the Unamid Bureau, and the police chief of the South Darfur branch of Unamid”, the general coordinator said. “They came to Kalma camp, because the camp leaders refused to go to the Unamid team site, as they considered it too unsafe to leave the camp.” ‘The Unamid officers briefed us about what the governor of South Darfur State had told them in a meeting on Saturday: the displaced of Kalma camp had attacked the weekly Bielel market, and had stolen money and livestock from the market.” The camp elders strongly denied the accusation, describing it as “false and baseless”. “They made ​​clear to the Unamid representatives that the displaced had staged a peaceful march inside Kalma camp, in protest against the government raids the past month, repeatedly horrifying the camp residents, in particular the women and children.” Abdallah said that the Unamid delegation announced that they will create protection sites inside the camp within a week. “The displaced, however, doubted their words, and told them that they have lost confidence in Unamid.” ‘Jarelnabi is a liar’ South Darfur State Governor Maj. Gen. Adam Mahmoud Jarelnabi, after his meeting with Unamid representatives on Saturday, told the press that a group affiliated with the mainstream Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Abdel Wahid El Nur (SLM-AW), was involved in the attack on the camp. He said that government forces cannot use violence inside the camp, as the displaced are considered to be under the protection of Unamid. The governor explained to the reporters that a rebel group had arrived from Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur, and had secretly entered Kalma camp. The rebels had incited school students and women to stage a demonstration against the authorities and in favour of the SLM and its leader. According to the governor, only one woman was killed during the protests, by one of the demonstrating displaced. He was arrested, the governor said. According to the Kalma camp elders, Governor Jarelnabi is “a liar”. News photo: Demonstrators at Kalma camp today (Sunday) (Radio Dabanga correspondent) Related:Four Darfuri displaced killed in Kalma camp mass protest (5 September 2014) Mass protest in South Darfur’s Kalma camp against repeated raids (4 September 2014) Military raid on South Darfur’s Kalma camp; Unamid measures ‘to mitigate impact’ (14 August 2014)