Kassab IDP leaders and international community share camp attacks concerns

Abdul Nasser Ibrahim, head of civil society organizations in Kutum, North Darfur, revealed that the recent events in Kutum, Kabkabiya and Fatta Barno left 21 people killed, 600 injured and a thousand missing. Nasser appealed to the Sudanese Ministry of Justice to form a committee to investigate the recent events, to bring the perpetrators to trial as well as to disarm pro-government militias. He described the events as extremely dangerous and called upon humanitarian organizations for an immediate intervention and to help those who fled. In a press statement yesterday a committee from Kassab camp in Kutum said that the government is fully responsible for the recent attacks. The committee condemned UNAMID’s alleged failure in protecting unarmed civilians. They consider the recent events a serious development of policies from the Sudanese government and its militias towards IDP camps and citizens of surrounding areas. It was described as a new approach to ethnic cleansing and genocide. In addition, the majority of displaced people who fled the camps are now living in the open air without any food or medicine, while others are crammed in one house with around 70 people. Dozens of families remain adrift facing the valleys and countryside in the rain, without shelter or proper clothing. The statement called upon international humanitarian organizations to carry out their responsibility to aid the displaced persons of the Kassab camp. An undisclosed source from the Kassab camp said that around a thousand IDPs returned to the camp yesterday to check on their homes and found a border guard trying to steal a donkey from one of the returnees at gunpoint. The IDPs chased the border guard away and he eventually surrendered himself to a camp guard at the gate of Kutum north. UNAMID’s absence The leaders of the Kassab IDP camp had a meeting on Wednesday with a number of international humanitarian organizations. In this meeting they gave more information about the humanitarian and security issues they are currently facing as well as a summary of their urgent needs. Taher Ismail, sheikh of the Kassab camp, told Radio Dabanga about the lack of protection of IDPs and citizens. He also mentioned humanitarian problems relating to lack of food, clothing, medicine, blankets and mosquito nets. The sheikh added that the organizations present in the meeting responded positively to their requests and another emergency meeting will be organized in Al-Fasher. Taher Ismail said that the following organizations participated in the meeting on Wednesday: OCHA, WFP, Red Cross, UNICEF and the WHO. He expressed his concern for UNAMID’s absence as one of its responsibilities is to protect IDPs. It was reported that UNAMID did not meet any of the IDP leaders since the outbreak of the recent atrocities.