Darfur: Attacks and Destruction of Life Continue
"The Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre (DRDC) is alarmed by the increasing state of insecurity and banditry activities in many parts of the Darfur region. Although massive military operations including the use of aerial bombardment have stopped yet a new pattern of widespread and systematic attacks by small groups against individuals has developed."
Darfur: Attacks and Destruction of Life Continue
The Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre (DRDC) is alarmed by the increasing state of insecurity and banditry activities in many parts of the Darfur region. Although massive military operations including the use of aerial bombardment have stopped yet a new pattern of widespread and systematic attacks by small groups against individuals has developed. Banditry activities that involve the killing, looting and steeling of cattle are growing in scale and nature. On 17th May 2005, nomad militiamen attacked Labado Area, killed three civilians, wounded three others and looted 140 livestock. On 14th May 2005 the African Union (AU) and the local police reported that a group of nomads attacked Selea village and looted 146 livestock on 7 May 2005. One man was killed in this incident and 3 others were injured. On 9th May 2005 nomad tribesmen attacked the village of Um Sayala in North Darfur State and looted 435 livestock.
DRDC also observed an increasing trend of burning down of abandoned villages in the region especially in West Darfur State. Such incidents were documented in the Masteri area (about 50 km south of El Geneina, capital of West Darfur State) where some 100 abandoned villages are under the treat of being burned or have already been burnt down since October 2004. This appears to be a calculated strategy to discourage internally displaced persons who fled these villages during previous attacks from returning home and ultimately changing the demographic structure of the affected areas. The lack of insecurity threatens the presence of international relief workers and the provision of life-saving relief material which is steadily declining in the region. It has also generated resistance from IDP communities to efforts of documentation and registeration, as they fear that such data will be used to force them to return to insecure areas.
Reports DRDC received indicated an increase in health problems among IDPs and the war-affected local communities with possible outbreak of meningitis and other infectious diseases. This necessitates a wide meningitis vaccination campaign to control the situation. The meagre health facilities operating in IDP camps are now overburdened with the increase in the number of vulnerable people coming from towns and other war-affected areas seeking free medical treatment in IDP camps as a result of fees introduced by the local authorities for medical treatment and access fees for visiting patients in the government-run local hospitals such as the case at Zaleingi hospital.
DRDC reiterates its belief that effective protection of the defenceless civilian populations in Darfur from the Janjaweed attacks is the most critical need that should be addressed urgently. DRDC calls for the deployment of a resourceful and strong military force in Darfur which should be composed of at least 50,000 thousand troops in order to effectively protect the more than 2 million IDPs and refugees and ensure their speedy and safe return to their original villages. This force should also be empowered to disarm the Janjaweed and apprehend their leaders and mentors in order to bring them to justice. This is the only way to avert a chaotic situation that may degenerate into a major humanitarian disaster reminiscent of the 1994 Rwanda genocide. Ends