UNAMID, IDPs and rebels attacked in North Darfur incidents
By Daniel Van Oudenaren
September 12, 2008 (WASHINGTON) — The African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) briefed the media on Thursday on three separate security incidents in North Darfur: a carjacking, offensive military activity and the investigation of an attack on civilians in an IDP camp.
UNAMID reported that its initial investigation of an incident at the Zamzam displaced persons (IDP) camp outside of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, suggests that 10-12 vehicles belonging to Central Reserve Police fired indiscriminately while passing outside the camp.
Forces from the government paramilitary group known as Central Reserve Police are alleged to have killed two persons, injured three, and abducted two more from Zamzam camp, 10 km (6 miles) west of El Fasher. Sixty-three officers from the accused group were trained in human rights and rule of law issues in El Fasher during a week-long program in May conducted by the United Nations Development Program.
One of the traditional leaders in the Zamzam camp is the unconfirmed source of this information. The UNAMID statement follows similar reports from the Justice and Equality Movement and Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) that five were killed in an attack on Zamzam camp.
Another attack occurred at Zamzam on Wednesday when a UNAMID sewage truck was carjacked by unknown armed men at the sewage dumping site, 2.5 km (1.6 miles) from the camp. “The incident was immediately reported to Government of Sudan (GoS) Police,” the UNAMID statement said pointedly. “Efforts to recover the truck are underway.”
The attacks at Zamzam are only two of many recent security incidents at IDP camps. On Sept. 4, government police fired shots during food distribution at Um Shalaya camp. Four persons were at first reported injured and later declared to have died, according to UNAMID.
Military activity in other areas of North Darfur was evident on Wednesday because one of the government’s new paramilitary commanders brought two injured government soldiers for medical treatment to the UNAMID clinic in Tawila, North Darfur.
The casualties might have arrived from eastern Jebel Marra, a short drive from Tawila and the scene of recent clashes between government forces and those of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A). Significant troop movements on Monday were reported by UNAMID: a convoy of 120 vehicles with heavily armed troops was observed in Malha, a different area of North Darfur, and two Mi-24 attack helicopters were seen landing at Kutum.
Military gunship helicopters and Antonov planes bombed Amar Jadid and Tarni on Wednesday in eastern Jebel Mara, reported SLM Chairman Abdel Wahid Al-Nur. Fighting on Saturday and Sunday was confirmed by Suleiman Marjan, an SLA field commander, and by UNAMID, which stated on Sept. 7 that the government had launched “general attacks.”
The United States contributes approximately 25% of the UNAMID budget and has spent over $450 million to support the mission. A U.S. private military company, MPRI, is one of the firms contracted to train UNAMID forces.
The U.S. diplomatic contribution, meanwhile, remains cautious and ambiguous. U.S. diplomats are scheduled to resume negotiations with the Government of Sudan in mid-September, according to Sudanese officials, though this is not publicly confirmed by the State Department, which has no new information on the Sudan page of its website since July and did not respond to inquiries during the month of August.
U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Richard Williamson attended the Republican National convention in Minneapolis, and is reported by the New York Sun to have been picked as a foreign policy advisor to tutor Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. His office did not respond to a recent inquiry from the Los Angeles Times.
(ST)