Thousands displaced on border Darfur-S. Sudan

Border clashes and insecurity along the border between Western Bahr El Ghazal and South Darfur have affected thousands of people in Raja County, causing displacement and suffering, according to the county executive.Most of the inhabitants of Radom and Sira Malaka bomas have moved toward Fireka Boma, south of Raja, where they are facing lack of health services and food.Raja County Commissioner Rizik Dominic told Radio Tamazuj in a phone interview on Tuesday that more than 10 thousand people in Raja County are lacking basic services as a result of border clashes in May. He explained that the situation in Fireka is worsened by fear of attacks attributed to the Lord’s Resistance Army, which has driven a number of South Sudanese away from the western border.He explained that the local services are not enough for such a large number of people. Additionally, a number of Darfuri refugees have been living in Raja County for many years.The commissioner explained that the bad road conditions are not allowing aid to reach Fireka and other areas.He added that the local government is trying to link up with NGOs in order to find other ways to support the citizens in these emergency situationsMr. Dominic appealed to NGOs to provide helicopters to deliver humanitarian aid while he also called on the government to improve the road conditions.The Commissioner further said that at the moment the situation at Raja County’s border is unpredictable and Khartoum is still flying more soldiers into the border areas.He added that it is not known where the Sudanese army may attack, but that the South Sudanese forces are ready in their positions to respond to any offensive.Last April the spokesman of the South Sudan Army claimed that the Sudan Armed Forces were trying to annex Sira Malaka by force. The area is near to Kafia Kinji, a larger disputed territory on the westernmost border with Central Africa.(Written by Daniel Leek)