Newly Displaced Continue to Arrive in Camps across North Darfur

4 February 2015. El Fasher:  A group of women is sheltered in  Zam Zam camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)Most of the new IDPs arrived recently from East Jebal Maraha and Tawila, as a result of following clashes between the Government of Sudan and rebel movements. Photo by Hamid Abdulsalam. UNAMID.

On 2 February 2015, a woman is pictured at her makeshift shelter in Tawilla, North Darfur. Photo by Mohamad Mahady, UNAMID.

previous next
8 Feb 2015

Newly Displaced Continue to Arrive in Camps across North Darfur

By Mohamad Mahady and Owies Elfaki

Maryam Yagoub Ishag and her family had to leave Sesioa village and walk a distance of some 40 kilometers, for three days, before they arrived in the Zam Zam camp for internally displaced people near El Fasher, North Darfur.

She is among the thousands who had to flee their homes due to clashes and attacks in Jebel Marra and other areas of North Darfur. According to humanitarian actors, at least 36,000 people have been newly displaced since the beginning of January. This number could possibly be higher as international organizations are unable to reach parts of Jebel Marra due to access constraints and fighting in the area.

A continuing influx of newly displaced, mainly women and children, have sought refuge in safer locations, such as around the UNAMID bases in Um Baru or in IDP camps in Tawilla, Nertiti, Shagra or Zam Zam.

“They looted our cattle, goats and donkeys and set our houses ablaze. We didn’t manage to harvest our crops, so we left them behind,” said a 40-year-old woman, Zainab Ahmadi, from Umarada village, located some 35 kilometres from El Fasher. “Our village is entirely empty; moreover, people from surrounding villages are still arriving at the camp.”

In the semi-desert camp of Zam Zam, the new IDPs live in makeshift shelters, under the heat of the sun and in dire need for assistance; most of them have walked for miles and miles to arrive at the camp or have ridden on their donkeys carrying the meagre belongings they managed to save while fleeing the attacks. Families of five members or more now live in two-square-meter tents made of shabby cloth or straw.

“Since we arrived here in the camp on 22 January, we have been suffering from hunger and thirst,” said a 25-year-old lady, holding her 16-month-old child on her waist, covering her weak body with a ragged thobe.

During the day, hundreds of young men and women roam the camp, as if they were searching for missing things, with a mixture of hope and despair. As many widows, children and elderly family members have been separated from the primary breadwinners of their respective families, some head to El Fasher town, around 12 kilometres from the camp, using public transport, to work in marginalized jobs with low income to feed their devastated families.

In similar conditions of hardship, new IDPs in Tawilla suffer from the changing weather, hot during the day and cool at night. The shortage of food and adequate drinking water could make children more vulnerable to contagious diseases such respiratory infections and cough. 

“Armed forces attacked and looted our villages. We are trapped in a situation where we lack fundamental necessities such as food, water and health services,” said Mr. Mohammed Adam, a community leader at the Daba Nayra camp in Tawila. According to Mr. Adam, more than 1,550 families have arrived at the camp following the recent spate of violence. Many others, he revealed, are arriving on a daily basis to rejoin their families who were separated during attacks.

The newly displaced in both camps have requested for urgent humanitarian assistance including the provision of food and water as well as proper shelter, blankets and additional latrines. They also request for medical support for their children.

On their part, UNAMID peacekeepers have been providing some water and protection for the recently displaced communities through regular patrols. The Mission is working closely with other international and national humanitarian agencies to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need.