North Darfur urges UNAMID to drive rebels out of Sortoni camp
July 6, 2016 (EL-FASHER) – North Darfur government has urged the hybrid peacekeeping mission ( UNAMID) prevent rebel presence and to weapons in Sortoni camp, warning it would use force against armed groups that uses civilians as human shields.
Sortoni camp, which is located near a UNAMID site in North Darfur, has become the main refuge for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who fled the recent fighting in Jebel Marra area between the government forces and SLM-AW fighters. The government seeks to prevent the politicization of the camp, and to quickly see the fresh waves of displaced civilians regaining their villages.
The Sudanese army says its troops have retaken all the rebel controlled areas in Jebel Marra, following a four-months campaign on the rebel position in the areas.
In a joint meeting between the state’s security committee and the command of the UNAMID peacekeepers in Darfur, chaired by Deputy Joint Special Representative, Ms. Bintou Keita on Tuesday, the governor of North Darfur, Abdel-Wahid Youssef, denounced the presence of rebels belonging to the Sudan Liberation Movement – Abel-Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) , in Sortoni IDPs camp.
“We have drawn their attention to the presence of a number of SLM-AW rebels among the IDPs in Sortoni. They are trying to prevent the camp residents from returning to their villages at the gun point. We have stressed the need to address this issue so that we do not have to use force and harm the civilians in this area,” Youssef said.
The governor further reiterated the importance of preventing the SLM-AW rebels from holding the IDPs captive so that they can hide behind them, “to attract the sympathy of the international community through these innocent civilians”.
“These rebel movements hide behind civilians and use them as human shields in inappropriate and humiliating manner,” he stated.
The meeting agreed to develop a joint plan by both the government and the hybrid mission to make the camp free of weapons, he further said.
Last month, unidentified gunmen attacked IDPs in Sortoni area killing two children and wounding several people, including a UNAMID peacekeeper. This attack was preceded by another one on the area’s market, where three persons were killed and other four were wounded.
Since the start of hostilities between the Sudanese army and the SLM-AW militants in Jebel Marra in January 2016, Sortoni is hosting over 90,000 displaced persons.
Tension in Sortoni have occurred when nomadic herders accused IDPS of stealing their livestock and demanded the return of their cattle.
After what, they set up barricades on the road between Kabkabiya and Sortoni, the main route to transport water and humanitarian assistance to the camp residents.
The Sudanese government has demanded the UNAMID to arrest those who looted the properties of the herdsmen and opened fire at the displaced camp.
The government has earlier said that the UNAMID peacekeepers intervened and arrested the herders only and didn’t detain the alleged attackers.
The governor has called on the joint mission to be accurate and transparent when reporting on the situation in the state, stressing the necessity of relying on documents not hearsay testimonies alone.
Also, the governor pointed the decline of rebel activities in Darfur, adding “There is nothing but small pockets on the Libyan borders”, he said.
He said that the government forces are now carrying operations secure the borders with Libya, to curb arm smuggling and human trafficking, as well as clear the border of ‘remaining’ rebels.
The governor has made a briefing on the recent security taken by his government to reduce criminal activities and ensure security and stability in the state.
The joint meeting further discussed a number of issues of mutual concern including the return of the displaced persons to their areas besides the cooperation and coordination between the two sides after the recent decision by the UN Security Council to extend the mandate of the mission for another year.
(ST)