UN report: Ban Ki-moon ‘disturbed’ about Darfur displacement in 2013

“I find it disturbing that significantly more people were displaced by clashes in the first three months of this year than during all of 2012,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in an April report on Unamid.The secretary-general also stated that the risk to the civilian population of physical violence increased, in particular in parts of North, Central and South Darfur, owing to military clashes between Government and armed movement forces and intercommunal fighting involving militias.The report includes an update on the latest developments of the situation in Darfur covering the period between 1 January and 31 March 2013. Read below some of its excerpts.Political developmentsTwenty-one months since its adoption the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) has yet to become fully inclusive or translate into meaningful and tangible improvements for the people of Darfur. Only limited progress was made in the implementation of the majority of its provisions, with little or no movement recorded with respect to the provisions on land, security, reconciliation or compensation. No progress was made on the resumption of negotiations between the Government and the Darfur members of the Sudan Revolutionary Front alliance.Protection of civilians from physical violenceIncreased hostilities between Government and non-signatory armed movement forces and heavy intercommunal fighting involving militias in North, Central and South Darfur seriously undermined progress against this benchmark. Hostilities in Jebel Marra (near Golo and Guldo, Central Darfur) and in Derib al Reih area (near Nyala, South Darfur) included aerial bombings by the Sudanese Air Forces. Unamid was prevented from assessing most of the affected areas, by belligerent parties, militias and often by government security forces.Security situation and freedom of movementInsecurity and restrictions of movement imposed by the authorities have hindered investigations into human rights violations in Jebel ‘Amer and Jebel Marra. The latter remained inaccessible to humanitarian actors throughout the reporting period due to restrictions imposed by the authorities.Between 1 January and 26 March, Government authorities denied 75 of 4,846 flight requests, a slight decrease from the previous reporting period. From 1 January to 23 March 2013, the Sudanese authorities issued 533 new entry visas for Unamid personnel. As of 23 March, 1,402 visas were pending, 967 of which were for civilian police officers, 393 for civilian personnel and 42 for military personnel.Humanitarian situationDuring the reporting period, fighting had displaced altogether 147,000 people in Darfur, significantly increasing the need for humanitarian assistance in and around areas affected by military clashes and heavy intercommunal fighting. However, adverse security conditions and intermittent access restrictions imposed on aid agencies by belligerent parties impeded humanitarian needs assessments and the provision of aid in areas affected by fighting.Rule of law, governance and human rightsThe human rights situation in Darfur deteriorated in a manner commensurate with the intensification of conflict, in particular with regard to violations of the rights to life and physical integrity. The overall number of human rights violations recorded by Unamid increased from 94 cases involving 204 victims in the previous reporting period to 117 cases involving 347 victims in the current reporting period (125 victims of violations of the right to life, 176 victims of violations of the right to physical integrity, 38 victims of sexual and gender-based violence and 8 victims of arbitrary arrest and detention). Of the 117 human rights cases documented by Unamid during the reporting period, 42 were reported to Government authorities, 8 of which are under investigation.Freedom of speechRegarding freedom of speech, expression and information, Unamid recorded three cases involving the harassment and intimidation by Government authorities of civilians involved in public demonstrations. No progress was made during the reporting period towards securing the issuance by the Sudanese authorities of a radio broadcasting licence for Unamid.PeacekeepersThe safety and security situation for Unamid and humanitarian personnel in Darfur remained of serious concern. I call on the authorities to address the climate of impunity for such attacks by investigating the incident and holding those responsible criminally accountable. The arrest and detention by security officials of five Unamid staff members in three separate incidents, in violation of the status-of-forces agreement, is also deeply troubling.File photo: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (UN)Related: UN report on Darfur: violations, government restrictions, Doha (27 January 2013)