UN workers evacuated from largest Darfur refugee camp
Dec 19, 2006 (CAIRO) — The United Nations evacuated more than 70 aid workers from the largest refugee camp in Darfur, Sudan on Tuesday after gunmen looted their compounds, leaving some 130,000 refugees virtually without humanitarian help.
It was the largest single instance of an aid worker evacuation since the U.N. launched its large-scale humanitarian campaign in war-torn Darfur in 2004. Over the past year, worsening violence has made delivering vital aid to hundreds of thousands of residents difficult or impossible.
A group of over 20 gunmen raided several humanitarian compounds in the South Darfur refugee camp of Gereida late Monday, harassing staff and stealing vehicles, communication equipment and money, the U.N. Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement.
Though no humanitarian worker was hurt in the attacks, the situation was considered too unsafe and the U.N. said it airlifted 71 aid workers out on Tuesday.
The U.N. said it was the eighth evacuation of endangered aid workers it has had to carry out so far this month in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.
“More than 400 (workers) have been evacuated this month, the situation is getting worse and worse,” said OCHA spokeswoman Dawn Blalock on the telephone from Sudan.
A handful of aid workers chose to remain in Gereida, but the “the vast majority” left the camp, Darfur’s largest with some 130,000 refugees, she said.
The attacks were “preventing humanitarian organizations from providing life-saving assistance” to refugees, said UN humanitarian coordinator Manuel Aranda da Silva in the statement.
The U.N. provides food and other supplies to 2.5 million refugees and to another 1 million vulnerable civilians in the region. Nearly four years of fighting between ethnic African rebels and the Arab-dominated central government have killed more than 200,000 people in Darfur.
Violence has only worsened since the government signed a peace agreement with one rebel group in May. Other rebel factions refused to join the deal, and Khartoum opposes a plan to replace the overwhelmed African Union force in the region with some 20,000 United Nations peacekeepers.
The U.N. said it couldn’t identify the gunmen behind the attack in Gereida, but pointed out that the camp was under the control of men who follow Minni Minawi, the rebel leader who signed the Darfur Peace Agreement with Khartoum.
With radio equipment and twelve vehicles stolen, Blalock said the incident was the single biggest attack on aid workers in Darfur.
Several high ranking commanders from Minawi’s rebel group have recently defected to rejoin the rebellion, saying that their leader has become powerless to protect civilians since he agreed to a cease-fire and was named presidential adviser.
A U.N. official in Darfur said Minawi defectors seeking new equipment to resume their fight against the government were suspected in the looting of the U.N. gear. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk to the media.
Spiraling Darfur violence has increasingly spread to neighboring countries, and Chad said Tuesday that more than 30 civilians were slain in recent raids by the Sudanese pro-government janjaweed militia.
Khartoum denies backing the janjaweed – who are blamed for the worst atrocities in Darfur – and says western aid groups and media vastly exagerate the humanitarian crisis. Some 15,000 aid workers operate in Darfur, including 1,000 non-Sudanese.
A recent African Union report said African Union investigations had confirmed the government and allied janjaweed were responsible for multiple attacks that killed scores of civilians.
(AP)