Sudan: Number of internally displaced persons increases in Darfur

(New York: 19 July 2004) - Last month, the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Darfur grew by approximately 100,000. As of 1 July, there were over one million IDPs in the region. Progress has been made in meeting their needs, while significant gaps remain.
Presently, humanitarian agencies are worried about recent attacks targeting humanitarian agencies. They are also concerned by the increasing pressure the Sudanese Government is putting on IDPs to return to their villages or other relocation sites. Examples include the forced relocation of approximately 4,000 IDPs from El Meshtel to Abu Shouk camp in North Darfur, and of some 7,000 individuals from Nyala to Kalma camp in South Darfur. Agencies are also seriously concerned about the planned relocation of IDPs in West Darfur's Mornei camp, one of Darfur's largest.

In South Darfur, recent fighting has led IDPs to congregate in a camp called Otash, on the outskirts of the town of Nyala. There are 2,300 families currently in the camp, with around 30-50 persons arriving daily. In Kass, approximately 60% of women had suffered physical and sexual abuse when they ventured out of the town to collect firewood. Although between 6 to 12 policemen are now present on the site, the IDPs still do not feel secure.

The body set up to monitor the United Nations and Sudan's Joint Communiqué, by which Sudan pledged to facilitate humanitarian access to Darfur, met on Saturday. At the meeting, United Nations officials said that although humanitarian access had improved, there had been no progress on security and protection of IDPs in the region. Instead, air raids and attacks by the Janjaweed and Government-aligned militias were making IDPs too afraid to return to their villages.

The Sudanese Government did introduce a less burdensome notification system for humanitarian movement in North Darfur. However, there had since been reports of traffic being stopped at checkpoints because security officials could not recognize the new forms. In addition, agencies were experiencing difficulties when hiring national health staff. In the last few weeks, the number of international humanitarians in the region has increased from 170 at the end of May to a predicted 500 by the end of July. Nevertheless, some eastern areas of West Darfur, as well as northern North Darfur and the Jebel Marra area, still lacked a much needed humanitarian presence.

For further information, please call: Stephanie Bunker, OCHA New York, tel.: 1 917 367 5126, mobile: 1 917 892 1679;Madelaine Moulin-Acevedo, OCHA Geneva, tel.: +41 22 917 3160.