UNAMID chief visits inaccessible Darfur war zone
The chief of the United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Ibrahim Gambari yesterday visited two frontline outposts of the Sudan Armed Forces and their rebel foes, both located in the East Jebel Marra region. In meetings with combatants during the field mission, Gambari emphasized the “neutrality” of the peacekeepers, which are not present in that contested zone. East Jebel Marra is also cut off from humanitarian aid.
The chief of the United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Ibrahim Gambari yesterday visited two frontline outposts of the Sudan Armed Forces and their rebel foes, both located in the East Jebel Marra region. In meetings with combatants during the field mission, Gambari emphasized the “neutrality” of the peacekeepers, which are not present in that contested zone. East Jebel Marra is also cut off from humanitarian aid.Gambari stopped at Jawa, a Sudan Armed Forces outpost, and Fanga Suk, which is controlled by an alliance of armed movements comprised of the Liberation and Justice Movement and the two main Sudan Liberation Army factions. Jawa lies 9km west of Deribat in South Darfur while Fanga Suk is in West Darfur, located 60 km southwest of Tawilla.
“We want the fighting to stop, we want safe and free access for aid agencies to East Jebel Marra,” said Gambari, who serves leads the UN Mission in his capacity as joint representative of both the African Union and the United Nations.
The delegation included UNAMID Force Commander Lt Gen Patrick Nyamvumba, Head of the regional UNICEF office Ismail Olushola and top Mission officials.
“Due to continued fighting in the strategic region and mountainous terrain, East Jebel Marra has long proven difficult to access for the majority of aid groups operating in Darfur,” UNAMID stated yesterday in a press release. “As a result, humanitarian relief is often out of reach to the thousands affected by the conflict.”
JSR Gambari also met with community leaders at both Jawa and Fanga Suk, many displaced by the ongoing fighting, who shared grievances and pleaded for the urgent provision of water, food, health, education and other basic services. In Fanga Suk, residents also implored the JSR to redouble appeals on their behalf for the cessation of aerial strikes.
Photo: UNAMID chief Ibrahim Gambari meets with armed movements in Fanga Suk, West Darfur, located 60km southwest of Tawilla, during his visit to East Jebel Marra. (Photo: UNAMID / Olivier Chassot)
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