WUNRN
SUDAN - INTERNALLY DISPLACED WOMEN
& GIRLS
Please see both parts of this WUNRN
release, including photos.
_________________________________________________________________________
Internal Displacement Monitoring
Centre
"Despite
the May 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement and numerous international political and
humanitarian initiatives to stop human rights abuses and mitigate the
consequences of forced displacement, the civilian population, including IDPs
residing in camps, continues to be subjected to widespread killings, rapes,
looting and other human rights abuses. Humanitarian conditions in the hundreds
of IDP camps are worsening, and malnutrition rates are above emergency levels."
Sudan:
Outlook for Internally Displaced Persons Remains Bleak
In western Sudan’s Darfur region, ongoing conflict has caused 2.2 million
people to be internally displaced since 2003, including almost 250,000 since
the beginning of 2007. The conflict has also forced more than 300,000 people
into neighbouring countries, in particular Chad. Several hundreds of thousands
of civilians have died in what has been described as “the world’s worst
humanitarian crisis”. Following concerted international pressure the central
government has accepted the deployment of a 26,000-strong United
Nations/African Union military force mandated to protect the civilian
population.
In
southern Sudan, around 140,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) returned to
their homes in the first six months of 2007, adding to more than one million
IDPs estimated to have returned since the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement
(CPA) between the central government and the southern-based Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement/Army. The CPA marked the end of the 20-year civil war
estimated to have caused the death of up to two million people and the internal
displacement of up to four million. Despite improved security, a number of
unfulfilled provisions, such as the withdrawal of central government troops
from a contested oil-rich border area, may still lead to renewed war and
displacement.
Despite the May 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement and numerous international
political and humanitarian initiatives to stop human rights abuses and mitigate
the consequences of forced displacement, the civilian population, including
IDPs residing in camps, continues to be subjected to widespread killings,
rapes, looting and other human rights abuses. Humanitarian conditions in the
hundreds of IDP camps are worsening, and malnutrition rates are above emergency
levels. Access for humanitarian organisations has worsened, with over a million
people out of reach of urgently needed assistance as a result of deteriorating
security conditions and denial of access to IDP camps.
The overall IDP figures in Sudan, particularly outside Darfur, are
unreliable and there are few mechanisms to identify the specific forced
migration patterns and protection needs of IDPs who are returning without the
support of state institutions or international organisations. However the total
is widely believed to be at least 4.5 million, making Sudan’s IDP crisis the
largest in the world.
May 2006).
________________________________________________________________
SUDAN: Thousands More Flee Violence in Darfur - UN
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A displaced woman and her child in North Darfur |
KHARTOUM, 18 September 2007 (IRIN) -
Violence in Sudan's remote western region of Darfur has forced nearly a quarter
of a million people to flee their homes this year, increasing the pressure on
the humanitarian effort, the United Nations said in a report.
The International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC) also expressed concern over worsening security conditions
in Darfur.
"Over
240,000 people have been newly displaced or re-displaced during 2007,"
according to the report prepared by the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in collaboration with partner UN agencies and
NGOs. Thousands of people were fleeing their homes each week, the report added.
It came
as the Sudanese government and Darfur rebels prepare for peace talks next month
aimed at ending more than four years of conflict that has claimed an estimated
200,000 lives and displaced some two million people from their homes.
The UN
said the insecurity was complicating efforts to respond to the needs
of the
new internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the delivery of assistance to
millions of people depending on aid.
"During
August, the humanitarian situation in Darfur has deteriorated," said the
report, the Sudan Humanitarian Overview. It added that attacks against
humanitarian staff continued throughout the month.
"Seven
humanitarian vehicles were hijacked or stolen, and four humanitarian convoys
were attacked," the UN said.
"Five
humanitarians were kidnapped or abducted, and three were physically
assaulted," it added. "Many areas of Darfur still remain a hostile
environment for relief efforts," the report said.
UN staff
were forced to relocate on 24 occasions in 2007.
"This
has a direct and tangible impact on the quality and quantity of aid and
results, in some cases, in the inability to reach those in need," it said.
The ICRC
has also raised concerns.
"Owing
to the unstable and tense environment and the poor road conditions during the
current rainy season, access to remote rural zones remains irregular and
difficult," an ICRC statement said.
“The ICRC
has determined that thousands of people, many of whom had already been
displaced several times since the conflict began in 2003, moved to Dom Jong,
Fujo, Fatma Karal, Kutrum, Kwila, Boldong, Kati and Kurifal in remote
areas of
Western Jebel Marra between June and August," it observed.
"This
means that the communities most at risk in rural areas are often reachable only
sporadically," said the head of the ICRC's Darfur operation, Denise Duran,
quoted in the statement.
"Many
fled there to escape the fighting or out of fear of attack; others were forced
to move by their deteriorating economic situation or their increasing isolation
and lack of access to services in remote places," the ICRC said.
"This
population movement affects the already fragile situation of residents and
formerly displaced people in the region," it added.
Armed
elements have also appeared in IDP camps, a presence which has been attracting
the Sudanese security forces.
"In
many IDP camps, armed elements are present, and violent incidents are
increasing,"
said the UN.
The
organisation said that in August, "all operations were suspended in
Zalingei Camp [West Darfur] for two days, while Kalma camp [South Darfur] was
closed to aid operations for three days."
Rains
that have been battering the country have also added new problems.
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The
UN says insecurity is complicating efforts to respond to the needs of the new
internally displaced persons |
"Worsening
sanitary conditions in the IDP camps have led to a spread of waterborne
diseases. In some cases, this has been accompanied by worsening malnutrition
rates which, although localised, have required and received
urgent
responses," said the UN report.
Despite
this, aid workers resumed food distribution to some 160,000 people who had not
received assistance since May.
"However,
60,000 Darfurians were still not reached in July due to insecurity in some
areas," the UN said. It added that humanitarian workers have not been able
to access several parts of Jebel Marra in West Darfur since 16 August.
The UN
Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has called for an end to the ongoing violence.
The UN
and African Union (AU) are in the process of deploying a joint
force
of 26,000
troops in the region to replace the ill-equipped and cash-strapped AU mission
that has been unable to stop the violence.
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