Darfur’s East Jebel Marra residents still prohibited from buying fuel, food, medicines in Tabit

The blockade of Tabit in North Darfur has been tightened. People from the surrounding villages and East Jebel Marra are now entirely prevented to enter Tabit to buy food, fuel or medicines. On Saturday, the Sudanese Air Force bombed an area in East Jebel Marra. No casualties were recorded. Speaking to Radio Dabanga, multiple sources reported that the blockade imposed by government and militia forces stationed in Tabit, El Fasher locality in North Darfur, is still prohibiting people from the surrounding villages and those from East Jebel Marra civilians to enter the town. “Since one month people are not able to buy water, food, medicines, or even fuel to run the mills and the water engines.” “The blockades were doubled in the past few days. It now has become entirely impossible to buy medicines from a pharmacy in Tabit. We do not have a drop of fuel left to operate the water pumps and water our livestock.” One of the sources described the blockade as “blatant discrimination of the residents of East Jebel Marra, and a crime against humanity”. Air raids The sources confirmed to Radio that an Antonov of the Sudanese Air Force dropped 15 bombs on the area east of Mashrou Abu Zaid and west of Dalma in East Jebel Marra. The air raids killed 25 cows and 13 goats. They appealed through Radio Dabanga to the local authorities and the central government in Khartoum to stop this flagrant violation of the rights of civilians living around Tabit and East Jebel Marra, and lift the blockade. He called on the international community to pressure the Sudanese government to stop the aerial bombardments on the region. File photo: A Darfuri woman herder watering her camels (Radio Dabanga archive) Related: Shelling, siege on East Jebel Marra residents in North Darfur (28 February 2014)