Aid shut-down in South Darfur prompts calls of protest

The Darfur Relief and Documentation Center condemned the move of the authorities of South Darfur to prevent all humanitarian organizations from moving around the state. Aid groups’ representatives were informed Tuesday by the Humanitarian Aid Commission that all humanitarian actors were forbidden from moving beyond a 15-kilometer radius of Nyala. The one exception to the order was Otash IDP camp, where there is a “serious humanitarian crisis” consisting of outbreaks of measles, meningitis and diarrhea, according to the UN Mission.

In an interview with Radio Dabanga, Abdelbagi Jibril, the head of Geneva-based center, considered the decision a crime which could be included as a crime against humanity because it endangers the lives of millions of civilian in Darfur who depend directly on the relief services.

In Darfur, the displaced people of the massive Kalma Camp called on the UN and human rights organizations to put pressure on the government to allow the organizations to enter the camp. Kalma Camp, which lies within the 15 km radius of Nyala, was nonetheless also put off limits to aid workers.

A sheikh from the camp said that the blockade of the aid organizations is meant to kill the displaced people through suffering and starvation because organizations have stopped working in the camp for more than a month. The sheikh also stated that the health and nutrition conditions in the camp have deteriorated completely.