Sudan militiamen kill 5 IDPs in attack on North Darfur camp – rebels

September 10, 2008 (ELFASHER) — Darfur rebels have accused today Sudanese government militias of attacking a displaced camp near the capital of North Darfur saying the assailants have killed 5 people.

Officials from Justice and Equality Movement and Sudan Liberation Movement told Sudan Tribune that pro-government militiamen, Janjaweed, had attacked today evening at 06:30pm Zamzam camp, killing five displaced and wounded dozens others.

Abdel Wahid Al-Nur and Ahmed Hussein Adam said the recent series of attacks directed against the Internally Displaced People camps aim to dismantle camps and force the IDPs to flee it.

They also regretted the inaction of the hybrid peacekeeping mission saying its failure to protect civilians will hamper the whole peace process that the new mediator tries to engage.

“This abject attack happened in Al-Fasher where the headquarters of the hybrid peacekeeping troops. This force is supposed to protect the civilians” said Al-Nur. He also urged the international community to condemn without compromise these violations of international laws.

While JEM spokesperson said UNAMID is “betraying Darfur people because it failed to expose the criminality of the regime” adding it should assume its historical responsibility. He also urged the UN Security Council to hold an emergency session to discuss government violence against Darfur IDPs camps.

They also said that this attack comes in line with President Omer Al-Bashir statements that displaced should forcibly quit the camps.

Khartoum considers the closure of Darfur camps as security issue. It accuses rebels of hiding weapons in the camps, an accusation that displaced and rebels deny retorting that Sudanese government thinks with the closure of the camps it can erase traces of Darfur crimes.

Last month Sudanese troops killed more than thirty IDPs in the volatile camps of Kalma in South Darfur.

WESTERN DARFUR BOMBING CONTINUES

In another development, Al-Nur said Sudanese military Gunship helicopters and Antonov planes bombed today Amar Jadid and Tarni locations in eastern Jebel Mara.

He added that the aerial attack destroyed the Tarni school. He also said civilians suffered causalities and figures would be available soon.

The United Nations says that up to 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million fled their homes since the conflict erupted in February 2003. Sudan says 10,000 have been killed.

(ST)