16 people killed in violent confrontation between South Darfur’s IPDs: UNAMID
April 19, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – 16 people were killed in Kalama camps outside Nyala as result of a violent confrontation between two groups of the camp residents, said the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur, on Thursday.
The UNAMID in its statement said that the confrontation where residents used guns against each other occurred on 13 April, as the country was celebrating the fall of the regime of President Omer al-Bashir two days before.
“These confrontations reportedly resulted in the killing of 16 people including a humanitarian field worker, with 17 injured and a significant number of IDPs displaced,” said the statement.
Different sources reached by Sudan Tribune claim that the attack was a result of divisions among the Darfurian armed groups on how to settle the conflict 15 years after its eruption.
The add that attack was carried out by a group of residents supporting a Darfur rebel leader against another group that seeks to get rid of his influence in Kalma they have successfully done in other IDPs camps.
In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune, the Sudan Liberation Movement Transitional Council called on the two conflicting parties to immediately stop the fighting, adding that such conflict will harm their just cause.
“We appeal to the party carrying arms in the camp to stop the attacks and escalation against the displaced. We must remind you that the world is monitoring you and monitoring the violations you are committing against your brothers and families,” said the statement without giving more details about the attackers.
Kalma camp is part of the Greater Jebel Marra area that the UNAMID still have to contribute to the protection of civilians and carry out regular patrols.
The joint mission in its statement recalled that “IDP camps are considered humanitarian space which should be free of weapons, where displaced people must not be subjected to threats, harassment, attacks or harm. Such actions could constitute a grave violation of international humanitarian law”.
“Any internally displaced person found carrying a weapon and using it, is no longer viewed as a civilian but is seen as a combatant and as such loses humanitarian protection provided to civilians,” it further stressed.
Jeremiah Mamabo, the UNAMID chief, for his part, pointed out that the protection of civilians is the prime responsibility of the Sudanese government, and called on tribal and local community leaders “to encourage their community members to solve their differences in a peaceful and cooperative manner”.
(ST)