♦ This week’s news in brief ♦

A compact weekly digest of Dabanga Sudan's highlights of the news from Darfur and Sudan

♦ Refugee site in Darfur besieged – displaced urged to leave

May 30 – 2016 KABKABIYA Sortony, that accommodates tens of thousands of displaced people in North Darfur, remains cut-off from transport because militiamen have blocked the road to Kabkabiya for consecutive weeks. The UN has begun to operate flights from El Fasher to Sortony.

Approximately 22,600 people displaced from Jebel Marra have taken shelter adjacent to the Unamid based in Sortony, the UN said last week. Militant groups, however, have blocked all transport to Sortony, including trucks that carry drinking water, food rations, and relief items. People in Sortony have not received the monthly food rations for April and May and lack plastic sheets and tents, a coordinator reported to Radio Dabanga.

“Hundreds of displaced people need to leave the camp to Kabkabiya,” the coordinator stressed. “The security and humanitarian situation at the camp may only worsen with the coming rainy season.”

Tensions have escalated between armed locals and the newly displaced community in Sortony, who have fled the fighting between the Sudanese government forces and the armed rebels in Jebel Marra in the past months. On 9 May militants killed six displaced people in an attack on Sortony. The attackers then established a blockade on the Kabkabiya road.
In addition, an overland journey from Kabkabiya to Sortony may take up to six hours because of poor roads. But as of 22 May the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) conducts flights to Sortony, as it has found the helipad in the area suitable for flights. 

♦ Burkina Faso second AU force to quit Darfur peacekeeping mission

May 26 – 2016 KHARTOUM Burkina Faso has become the second African Union country to announce its withdrawal from the joint UN-AU Mission in Darfur (Unamid). This follows a similar announcement by South Africa.

On Wednesday 25 May, Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof Ibrahim Ghandour, told reporters in Khartoum that the African Union and the United Nations have also been notified about the withdrawal. "Thus it has become the second country to decide to withdraw its troops from the Mission after South Africa,” Ghandour said. Reports emerged in February of South Africa’s intention to withdraw from Unamid. Two weeks ago a South Africa Minister, Mapisa-Nqakula said that Khartoum made it difficult for South Africa to provide logistic support to its troops, "and impossible for our forces to protect the women and children of that country".

Sudan does not seek to allow an extension of the mandate of Unamid. Foreign Minister Kamal Ismail earlier said that the situation is stable in Darfur and the rebel activities receded, meaning no citizen in Darfur needs protection from Unamid.

Sudan called for Unamid's withdrawal from Darfur following a dispute over the mass rape in the village of Tabit in North Darfur by army troops in October 2014, that Unamid repeatedly requested to investigate. The mission, now with 19,555 military personnel, 3,772 international police and 19 special police units with up to 2,660 officers, in addition to international and local supporting civilian staff, is considered the largest peacekeeping mission in the world's history.

Other highlights from Dabanga Sudan:

Man dead, children missing after raid in Tabit, North Darfur

May 30 – 2016 TAWILA LOCALITY One man was killed and four children have gone missing in a raid by a group of militants in the area of Tabit in North Darfur, last Sunday. Four people sustained injuries, while the attackers stole…

Darfur peace conference: Collect weapons and vehicles

May 30 – 2016 NYALA The social peace conference concluded in Nyala, South Darfur, on Saturday, recommended the need to collect weapons and four-wheel-drive vehicles from civilians. Other recommendations…

Condemnation as Sudan bombs South Kordofan civilians

May 29 – 2016 NUBA MOUNTAINS The Sudanese Air Force has continued its air raids on civilian targets in South Kordofan’s Nuba Mountains. This week, a school was hit, and a teacher injured. The Sudan Troika… 

Dangerous food shortage in South Sudan camps

May 28 – 2016 UPPER NILE, SOUTH SUDAN Acute malnutrition has reportedly caused the death of a number of children and elderly people from Blue Nile, in a refugee camp in South Sudan during the past week. UNHCR…

Two detained pastors' whereabouts unknown in Sudan

May 27 – 2016 KHARTOUM The whereabouts of two pastors of the Christian Church in Sudan, detained in December 2015, remain unknown, activists reported. “Both are at risk of torture.” The families of Hassan Abdelrahim Kodi…

Four injured ‘still in serious condition’ after West Darfur shooting

May 26 – 2016 EL GENEINA Four of the people injured in a shooting at the mosque in Azerni camp in West Darfur on Sunday evening are still in a serious condition in El Geneina hospital. Members and supporters of the…

Sudanese demo against Darfur violence in The Hague

May 25 – 2016 THE HAGUE The Sudanese community in the Netherlands staged a demonstration in The Hague on Tuesday against the ongoing violations against civilians in Darfur and the Nuba Mountains…

Students, activists at risk of torture in Sudan: HRW

May 25 – 2016 NAIROBI Sudanese national security officials have detained dozens of students and activists – many of whom are still in custody – without charge since mid-April 2016, during protests on university campuses…

This digest is an excerpt from the weekly Darfur & Sudan News Update. Subscribe to the newsletter here