Unamid ‘urgently’ requires health intervention in East Darfur

The health situation of displaced people who have taken refuge near the Unamid team site in Labado, East Darfur, has deteriorated and interventions from the humanitarian community are urgently required, the UN-AU mission says.The hospital in Labado town has been closed since April due to insecurity, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports. Currently the Unamid clinic, which receives between 120 and 130 patients weekly, is the only health centre providing the displaced community with health services. It, however, does not have enough medical supplies and lacks maternal care facilities.On 6 April, rebel forces of the Sudan Liberation Movement-Minni Minawi (SLA-MM) took over the two strategically located towns Labado and Muhajeriya. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) regained control as the rebel forces withdrew ten days later.A total of 60,000 people had been displaced from both towns, OCHA announced in May. The Sudanese Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) stated that the entire population of Labado –an estimated 25,000 people– fled the town following fighting between SAF and SLA-MM.  Some of the displaced people sought refuge at the Unamid team site in Labado while others moved to displaced people’s camps in Nyala in South Darfur. The displaced people have not returned to Labado and according to the last World Food Programme (WFP) food distribution in September, there are an estimated 7,000 displaced people currently sheltering near the Unamid team site.File photo by Albert Gonzalez Farran/UnamidRelated:Sudan government restrictions prevent aid to 150,000: UN (4 October 2013)‘Displaced in East Darfur need assistance’: OCHA (28 June 2013)