Darfur camp fears new attack amid claims of army build-up
09/04/08
KHARTOUM (AFP) — Residents of a displaced people camp in Sudan's Darfur region complained to peacekeepers on Thursday about the threatening presence of government troops amid fears of a new attack after a deadly clash last month.
A raid by soldiers into the impoverished Kalma camp in southern Darfur on August 25 left 31 people dead, including women and children.
"The government is still surrounding us," resident Abdelrahman Omer told AFP. "We have not seen any (peacekeeper) patrols, and people are frightened."
The joint African Union-UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID), which launched permanent patrols inside Kalma after the attack, this week noted "an increased presence" of police five kilometres (three miles) from the camp.
Henry Anyidoho, the force's deputy special representative, visited Kalma on Wednesday to assess the security situation and humanitarian needs.
He said the force had expressed its "grave concern over the tragic incident" to Khartoum, but was working with Sudanese soldiers on the ground to prevent a repeat of the fighting, according to a UNAMID statement on Thursday.
No immediate comment from the military was available on the alleged troop build-up.
However, officials inside Kalma told peacekeepers they lived in "perpetual fear of another attack" and accused the government "of using hunger and thirst as a weapon to punish the camp residents," the UNAMID statement added.
"We are worried and scared about what will happen," camp resident Hussein Abu Sharati told AFP. "There is great tension inside the camp because of the soldiers outside."
Darfur rebels have demanded that all government forces leave the area, threatening to "intervene militarily" if they stay.
"The Sudanese army (must) withdraw immediately and unconditionally," said Mahgoub Hussein, a spokesman for the London-based Sudan Liberation Movement/Army.
Sudanese security officials say armed robbers and rebel groups are hiding in the tightly packed camp, hoarding weapons, explosives, narcotics and stolen goods.
Conditions for the estimated 80,000 residents are miserable, with a lack of medicine and homes washed away by heavy rain, aid workers say.
One Kalma leader told peacekeepers on Wednesday the people were angry that they had been attacked rather than receiving aid.
"After their camp was flooded, instead of receiving the assistance they expected from the government, what they got was the brutal killing of their people including women and children," the UN statement read.
The UN says up to 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million fled their homes since war in Darfur erupted in February 2003. Sudan says 10,000 have been killed.
The conflict erupted when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated Khartoum regime and state-backed Arab militias, fighting for resources and power.
A raid by soldiers into the impoverished Kalma camp in southern Darfur on August 25 left 31 people dead, including women and children.
"The government is still surrounding us," resident Abdelrahman Omer told AFP. "We have not seen any (peacekeeper) patrols, and people are frightened."
The joint African Union-UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID), which launched permanent patrols inside Kalma after the attack, this week noted "an increased presence" of police five kilometres (three miles) from the camp.
Henry Anyidoho, the force's deputy special representative, visited Kalma on Wednesday to assess the security situation and humanitarian needs.
He said the force had expressed its "grave concern over the tragic incident" to Khartoum, but was working with Sudanese soldiers on the ground to prevent a repeat of the fighting, according to a UNAMID statement on Thursday.
No immediate comment from the military was available on the alleged troop build-up.
However, officials inside Kalma told peacekeepers they lived in "perpetual fear of another attack" and accused the government "of using hunger and thirst as a weapon to punish the camp residents," the UNAMID statement added.
"We are worried and scared about what will happen," camp resident Hussein Abu Sharati told AFP. "There is great tension inside the camp because of the soldiers outside."
Darfur rebels have demanded that all government forces leave the area, threatening to "intervene militarily" if they stay.
"The Sudanese army (must) withdraw immediately and unconditionally," said Mahgoub Hussein, a spokesman for the London-based Sudan Liberation Movement/Army.
Sudanese security officials say armed robbers and rebel groups are hiding in the tightly packed camp, hoarding weapons, explosives, narcotics and stolen goods.
Conditions for the estimated 80,000 residents are miserable, with a lack of medicine and homes washed away by heavy rain, aid workers say.
One Kalma leader told peacekeepers on Wednesday the people were angry that they had been attacked rather than receiving aid.
"After their camp was flooded, instead of receiving the assistance they expected from the government, what they got was the brutal killing of their people including women and children," the UN statement read.
The UN says up to 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million fled their homes since war in Darfur erupted in February 2003. Sudan says 10,000 have been killed.
The conflict erupted when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated Khartoum regime and state-backed Arab militias, fighting for resources and power.
0 Comments
There are no comments for this entry yet. Get the discussion started and post below.