UN official calls for increasing humanitarian efforts in Darfur
May 22, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The UN under secretary general for humanitarian affairs, Valerie Amos, stressed readiness of UN bodies to cooperate with the government in order to provide support to those affected by the recent surge of violence in Darfur. UN Humanitarian chief Valerie Amos talks with a displaced woman during her visit to Zam Zam camp for IDPs in North Darfur state on May 21, 2013 (photo by Albert González Farran UNAMID) Amos visited Zam Zam camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) outside North Darfur state capital Al-Fasher in on Wednesday where she was accompanied by the Sudan humanitarian commissioner Abdel Rahman Suleiman. She said that her visit was intended to follow up on the humanitarian situation of the affected civilians, adding that she had noticed during her tour at Zam Zam camp that the situation of the newly displaced persons who are mainly women and children was not satisfactory. Last Sunday the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a report saying that 60.000 people have been displaced from areas of Muhajiriya and Labado in East Darfur since April’s clashes between the Sudanese army and rebels. The report mentioned that an unidentified armed group killed 4 people on May 9 in the town of Bangoul and looted 3000 head of cattle, adding that due to the tense security situation, an African Union - United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) convoy escort could not get clearance from government security authorities. The undersecretary further stressed the need to bring together efforts of all partners including aid groups and the government authorities in order to provide assistance for those affected. She disclosed that they have distributed food for the newly displaced persons and pointed out that lack of funding represents a real challenge for aid groups, saying that the current situation requires more efforts and cooperation to meet the needs of those affected by the recent events. OCHA reported that thousands of civilians from Labado and Muhajeria moved also to IDPs camps in El Neem camp near East Darfur State capital, Ed Daein, and Dereige and Otash IDP camp in South Darfur. The governor of North Darfur state, Osman Mohamed Yousif Kibir, strongly denied that armed clashes have taken place within his state during the past two weeks leading to new waves of displacement to Zam Zam camp. During a meeting with the visiting UN humanitarian official, Kibir pointed out that the newly IDPs who arrived at Zam Zam came from Labado area in East Darfur following recent armed clashes. The governor further claimed that Zam Zam camp represents a serious threat to security in the state, saying that it is a major source of fuel to rebel groups as well as a transit station. Last month, the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Minnawai (SLM-MM), captured towns of Labado and Muhajiriya in East Darfur before Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) reclaimed the two areas later. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14ophV-PL4rwO_ifN0xqMVediqLx3ZwA2PnZ4ZArs9mdYPQ%40mail.gmail.com?hl=en-US. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
