Stream of Jebel Marra displaced arrive at North Darfur camp

04/02/2016 15:44 TAWILA

More than 463 families from war-torn Jebel Marra arrived at the Rwanda camp for the displaced near Tawila in North Darfur the past few days. Almost 45,000 people have been displaced during January, OCHA reports.
The newly displaced families walked more than 30 kilometres to reach the camp. They were assaulted by militiamen and robbed of the belongings they managed to take with them on their flight, an activist told Radio Dabanga from Tawila.

More than 463 families from war-torn Jebel Marra arrived at the Rwanda camp for the displaced near Tawila in North Darfur the past few days. Almost 45,000 people have been displaced during January, OCHA reports.

The newly displaced families walked more than 30 kilometres to reach the camp. They were assaulted by militiamen and robbed of the belongings they managed to take with them on their flight, an activist told Radio Dabanga from Tawila.

Members of Unamid supported some of them on the way, he said. After their arrival at the Rwanda camp, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders provided them with some blankets and food for the children.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan reported in its latest weekly bulletin that as of 31 January, it is estimated that 44,700 people (31,000 in North Darfur and 13,700 in Central Darfur) have been displaced in the government offensive on Darfur’s Jebel Marra, which started on 15 January.

The numbers are reported but not verified, and are likely to change as more precise data becomes available, OCHA added.

Military offensive successful

The Governor of Central Darfur, Jaafar Abdelhakam, said on Monday that the military offensive against the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement in January was successful.

About 90 percent of Jebel Marra area has been freed from the grip of the rebels, he told representatives of the UN and aid organisations in the state capital of Zalingei on Monday.

The governor added that the about 200 displaced families that fled to Central Darfur towns are able to safely return to their homes.

Disarmament

In a meeting in Khartoum on Wednesday with the head of the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA), Dr El Tijani Sese, President Omar Al Bashir confirmed the need to restore the rule of law in Darfur.

Al Bashir and El Tijani agreed on disarming civilians carrying weapons in the lawless region “to avoid the chaos that occurs from time to time, and enhance security and stability in the five Darfur states”.