UN urges Darfur rebels to stop Chad refugee recruitment

May 26, 2006 (GENEVA) — The U.N. refugee agency said Friday “very disturbed” by reports of ongoing infiltration of armed Sudanese rebels inside and near some refugee camps in eastern Chad and fear further recruitment of refugees for military activities.

The UNHCR said it may suspend humanitarian activities in camps in Chad unless the government steps up protection against armed attacks by rebel groups.

Armed members of a Sudanese rebel group had been seen earlier this week in Oure Cassoni camp, in northeastern Chad and only 7 kilometers from the Sudan border, said Jennifer Pagonis, a spokeswoman for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

“We want to stress to the Chadian authorities, rebel groups and refugees that military infiltration of the camps cannot continue,” Pagonis told reporters. “If not stopped, it could result in the suspension of humanitarian activities.”

Pagonis said the incident at Oure Cassoni camp — which shelters 27,000 refugees from Sudan’s Darfur region — wasn’t the first such report, but was the first time armed rebels had been seen so openly in daylight, in vehicles and walking around the camp.

“Once again, we strongly condemn the infiltration of refugee camps by any military presence. This situation is totally unacceptable. It violates the civilian and humanitarian character of refugee camps and risks making refugees and humanitarian workers a target,” she said.

Chadian authorities are responsible for security in and around the refugee camps, where there are about 200,000 people who have fled violence and insecurity in Darfur.

UNHCR will consider the situation in each camp individually and won’t bring in a blanket suspension of its humanitarian activities in eastern Chad.

“Obviously you don’t want to cut them off from humanitarian aid,” Pagonis said, but added: “Clearly there’s not enough security to protect the people there.”

Last week CNN reported that children as young as 13 are being forced into combat by Sudanese rebels who take the youngsters from squalid refugee camps in neighboring. To watch the video report go to Youths torn from camps, forced to fight.

(ST)