Sudan militias terrorise camp holding Darfur displaced: MSF aid group
GENEVA, June 21 (AFP) — Sudanese militias accused of conducting “ethnic cleansing” in the Darfur region are now terrorising a camp holding tens of thousands who fled their attacks, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said Monday.
The medical charity also warned that tens of thousands could die of hunger in the war-ravaged western region because of a lack of humanitarian aid.
“After surviving massacres carried out by pro-government militias on their villages, displaced civilians in Darfur, Sudan continue to endure violent attacks and rapes around the areas where they have gathered,” it said in a statement released in Geneva.
“The same militias who carried out the initial attacks now control the camp’s periphery, virtually imprisoning people who live in constant fear,” it said, referring to the Mornay camp in western Darfur, where some 80,000 people have taken refuge.
“Men risk being killed if they leave, and women have been beaten and raped looking for food and other essential items outside the camp,” it said.
Tar broke out in Darfur in February 2003 when black African rebel groups, complaining of the marginalisation of their region and a lack of protection for local people, rose up against the Sudan government.
The government’s response was to give the Janjawid militia a free rein in cracking down on the rebels, and since the conflict broke out, Khartoum’s proxy militia hase been accused of conducting a scorched earth campaign and ethnic cleansing in Darfur.
Khartoum, meanwhile, has been accused of hampering essential humanitarian access to the region.
Darfur’s “displaced have been entirely dependent on external aid for several months, but the assistance necessary for them to survive has not materialized,” warned MSF.
“Already, 200 people die in Mornay every month, and there is nothing to indicate that assistance will arrive in time or in sufficient quantities to avoid a massive human catastrophe.
“Today, one in five children in the camp are severely malnourished while irregular and insufficient food distributions do not come close to meeting the basic needs of people weakened by violence, displacement and deprivation,” said the statement.
At least 10,000 people have been killed in Darfur — many believe the toll is grossly underestimated — and one million been internally displaced.
“Those who have fled to Mornay represent less than 10% of people displaced by a war waged against civilians in Darfur,” said MSF.
“The events directly affect an estimated one million people and indirectly affect several hundreds of thousands more, especially in terms of food security, while more than 190,000 people have sought refuge in neighboring Chad,” it said.