Tabit abandoned in wake of fresh fighting, residents in Darfur camps

A number of villages south of El Fasher in Darfur are abandoned, a UN – African Union verification mission confirmed, more than a week after initial media reports on the recent aerial and ground attacks on the region.“The team confirmed that clashes occurred in Tabit vicinity and nearby villages were abandoned,” the UN African Union Mission in Darfur confirmed in a statement.

Chris Cycmanick, UNAMID spokesman, told Radio Dabanga that the Mission’s patrol reached Tabit on Tuesday for the first time since the fighting broke out there around 24 January. The previous patrol on 31 January was canceled “due to ongoing fighting in the region,” the spokesman’s office had reported.

The population of the area fled en masse to Shangil Tobaya and El Fasher, Cycmanick said, stressing that UNAMID is still continuing to patrol the area and assess the situation.