South Darfur’s Kalma camp: 150 rapes, 148 murders in seven months

Among the displaced of Kalma camp in South Darfur, 148 were killed and 150 raped between June 2013 and January 2014. Salih Eisa Mohamed, Secretary-General of the camp near Nyala, told Radio Dabanga that most of the crimes occurred while the victims were collecting firewood, timber, and straw. Mohamed held the Sudanese authorities responsible for the murders and rapes. “Those assaults almost always take place before the eyes of government forces, and Unamid troops. They refuse to accept reports about rape, and the police make it extra difficult for the victims by asking for Form 8 (see below *).” He said that a camp delegation talked with Unamid about the ongoing rapes. Unamid replied that they are considering various protection options, including the provision of solar energy stoves as an alternative for firewood. * In Sudan, medical evidence of an assault is admitted only via Form 8. This form provides only limited medical information. It can be issued only by police stations, or approved hospitals and clinics. Until criminal procedures were revised in 2004, a victim could not even receive treatment for a sexual assault until a Form 8 had been filed. Critics state that Form 8 is “glaringly inadequate”, as sufficient medical evidence is often very difficult to obtain. File photo Related:Militiamen gang-rape three women in North Darfur (18 December 2013)Militiamen gang-rape ten in Central Darfur (16 December 2013) ‘Sexual violence crisis in Sudan’: rape victims speak out (8 December 2013)