Sudanese army surrounds Darfur refugee camps
By SAM CAGE, Associated Press Writer
GENEVA, Nov 2, 2004 (AP) — The Sudanese army and police have surrounded several refugee camps in the war-torn region of Darfur and denied access to humanitarian groups, the United Nations said Tuesday.
“It started at 3 a.m. without any warning,” said Christiane Berthiaume, spokeswoman for the World Food Program. “Agencies have been denied access to these camps since this morning.”
At least 160,000 refugees in western Darfur cannot be reached by road “because of insecurity,” Berthiaume said.
The U.N. food agency has relocated a total of 88 aid workers from three camps in the Nyala region: Golu, Zaleinge and Nertetie. Most of those evacuated are working for independent aid organizations rather than the United Nations, Berthiaume said.
The agency still has three employees in Zaleinge and Nertetie, but may evacuate them depending “on the evolution of the situation,” Berthiaume said.
The World Food Program is concerned that government forces may start relocating people from the camps back to their villages, where there is less protection from government-backed militias known as Janjaweed, she added.
Refugees fear the move may be government retaliation for the kidnapping of 18 Sudanese of Arab origin, who were taken hostage while traveling on a bus between Zaleinge and Nyala last week, the U.N. agency said.
Sudan’s government is accused of backing the Janjaweed to help put down a 19-month rebellion by non-Arab African groups. The United Nations and aid groups have called Darfur the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Aid workers and U.N. officials in Sudan have confirmed violence in the Zaleinge area, where tensions have risen as Arab tribes have demanded international agencies secure the hostages’ release.
A deadline for the release of the Arab hostages expired Sunday.
The Sudanese government has since accused the rebel Sudan Liberation Army of the kidnapping last week, while rebels claimed Janjaweed ordered 30 ethnic Africans from a bus on Sunday, and shot them to death.
“Along with other international organizations, we have had to cancel missions to the field planned for this week,” said Ron Redmond, spokesman for the U.N. high commissioner for refugees.
The United Nations has suspended all field missions by international organizations because of the kidnapping and ensuing violence, Redmond confirmed.
Attacks have uprooted 1.5 million of Darfur’s people, and at least 70,000 have died, mostly through disease and hunger. Both sides are accused of routine violations of an April cease-fire.