Villagers fleeing attacks in North Darfur could die of thirst

A trader was killed in attacks launched by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Um Baru locality, North Darfur, on Tuesday. Thousands of livestock were stolen. Villagers fled to the wilderness, where water sources are hard to find. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan a considerable increase of newly displaced in the locality is expected.

The independent MP for Um Baru and Karnoi localities, Mohamed Ahmed Minawi Digeish, reported that “RSF troops in dozens of heavily armed vehicles, mounted with various weapons, raided Um Mahareik, Khazan Ambar, Mandar, Donki Jibril, and Goz Tahir, on Tuesday morning”.

“Merchant Zakaria Idris Dugo was shot dead. The people told me that 1,214 camels and 1,700 sheep were stolen. Traders at the Um Maraheik market were robbed of about SDG2 million in total,” he reported.

The MP said that the attack led to the flight of large numbers of villagers to “sandy areas, valleys and mountains”, and expressed his concern that “especially children, pregnant women, and elderly may die of thirst”.

Nearly 21,000 new displaced verified in North Darfur

“More people are fleeing their homes as a result of ongoing fighting between government forces and armed movements in parts of Darfur,” OCHA in Sudan stated in its latest weekly bulletin, released today.

The UN agency states that humanitarian organisations have assessed and verified more than 20,700 newly displaced in North Darfur who fled their homes since December 2014.

“This figure,” the bulletin reads, “is expected to increase further as reports received from Um Baru locality in North Darfur indicate a considerable increase in the number of new IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons, RD) seeking shelter near the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) Um Baru base.”