Sudanese officials rush to Darfur IDPs camp amid fatal attacks
October 21, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Top Sudanese officials rushed to the largest internally displaced camp in Darfur following the worst attacks that left scores dead.
Sudan’s Defence minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein along with Interior Minsiter Zubeir Bashir Taha and Intelligence Chief Salah Gosh flew to Darfur in a surprise visit to the region.
Ahmed Haroun, state minister for humanitarian affairs and war crimes suspect wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) also accompanied the delegation.
The head of Nyala Police told the daily Al-Sahafa that the officials were supervising a security operation inside the Kalma camp.
The leader of Darfur’s Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) Abdelwahid Mohamed Al-Nur accused the government last week of attacking civilians inside the camp.
However the spokesman of the Sudanese army denied accusations by the SLM leader saying that the army “has nothing to do with what goes on inside the camp”
The African Union (AU) confirmed the attack but said an investigation was underway to determine the responsible party.
The AU -UN Joint Special Representative Rodolphe Adada called on all parties “respect the cease fire and to refrain from actions that are not helpful to the peace process”.
Over 700 families inside the camp has fled to the nearby cities following the attack and 70 tents were set on for according to Al-Sahafa.
The Sudanese army along with AU forces arrested 9 people inside the camp. However the force clashed with the IDP’s resulting in slight injury to a forensic expert.
Up to last year, the government backed Janjaweed militia attacked the IDPs particularly women who go out the camp to collect wood. The militia were always present out side the camps.
Sudanese forces surrounded and attacked Darfur’s most volatile camp last August to flush out rebels they say are behind attacks on two police posts.
International experts estimate some 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million driven from their homes since mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003.
Khartoum agreed to a 26,000-strong joint U.N.-AU force which will absorb the AU mission and try to stop violence which has hampered the world’s largest aid operation in Darfur. Some 500,000 people are out of reach of relief workers.
(ST)