Kalma camp IDPs play down deal to relocate them after floods
July 15, 2017 (NYALA) – South Darfur Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of Kalma camps Saturday minimised reports about an agreement with the state governor to relocate the residents affected by water floods into a new camp.
Last June, torrential rains affected some 9,000 people residing in Kalma camp. After visiting the camp, an interagency team composed of government and UN humanitarian officials recommended relocating the affected households to higher ground areas.
“Some of the affected families have already relocated to areas of higher ground while others will move to Beleil town a few kilometres south-east of the camp,” said UNOCHA earlier this month.
Following a visit to the camp where he inspected the area after the floods, South Darfur Governor Adam al-Faki announced on Friday that an agreement was reached with the affected residents to move them to a new location. He further pledged to build water stations and schools and called on the aid groups to provided the needed humanitarian assistance.
However, the deputy head of the IDPs association in Kalma, Adam Abdallah, told Sudan Tribune on Sunday that they are not concerned by the agreement with the South Darfur government to relocate the floods affected residents to a new camp in Beleil.
“The agreement which the governor spoke about, had been reached with the IDPs who are part of Beleil municipality and they represent only %6 of the camp’s population,” Abdallah said.
Kalma camp is located at 18 km from Nyala, the state capital, near Beleil town. It is seen as the largest camp in the South Darfur with over 90,000 IDPs.
The camp’s residents; mainly from the Fur ethnic group, are known as highly politicised and supporting the rebel leader Abdel Wahid al-Nur.
Abdallah said over 90% of the camp residents are from Shataya, Kass and Alsalam areas of South Darfur state.
He added they are keen to return to their original home areas whenever the security conditions allow that.
“We have only two options: to return to our areas of origin when the conditions ensuring our dignity are met or to stay despite our will and wait in the camps,” said the IDPs representative, excluding that they would accept to be relocated into other areas than their villages of origin.
(ST)