Three Darfur children killed in Jebel Marra shelling

Three young siblings were killed in heavy shelling on Karwa area, five kilometres south of Rokoro in Jebel Marra, Central Darfur in Thursday.

One of the children's relatives told Radio Dabanga that Sudanese army troops and militiamen stationed near Rokoro began shelling the area in the early morning on Thursday. At 8:00 pm, the house of Hamid Yagoub was hit, killing his three children Hawa (8), Mudasir (7) and Yousef (5) instantly.

UN Security Council

Last week, the President of UN Security Council (UNSC) issued a issued a statement lauding the progress made by the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (Unamid),  However, the statement expresses the UNSC’s “concern about the security and humanitarian situation in Jebel Marra”.

In early December, the Unamid Joint Special Representative, Jeremiah Mamabolo, told a press briefing on the status of the Unamid drawdown and exit strategy in Khartoum this morning that while security has improved in most parts of Darfur, the region still witnesses “fresh waves of displacement”.

Mamabolo: “Given the improved security in most parts of Darfur, civilians are reportedly returning gradually to their homes after years of displacement. However, Darfur still witnesses fresh waves of displacement, with a significant emphasis in Jebel Mara where intermittent hostilities between non-state armed groups and regular forces continue to directly affect civilians in the area. Approximately 16,000 people have been displaced into various camps and settlements in various localities in Jebel Marra in both South and Central Darfur, which represents an increase of 4,000 people since September 2018.”