Senior UN aid official condemns killings of displaced civilians by armed local tribes in North Darfur

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan has condemned the reported shooting deaths of six civilians, including two children, by armed local tribes in Sortony – next to a site for recently displaced people from the mountainous Jebel Marra area in North Darfur.

“The killing of the displaced people [IDP] and the injuring of an unconfirmed number of other individuals, including a peacekeeper from the African Union-UN Mission in Darfur [UNAMID], occurred after a reported rise in tensions between displaced people and armed tribesmen over cattle raiding. The injured are being treated at a medical clinic in Sortony,” said the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Marta Ruedas.

Since early 2016, increased hostilities between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Abdul Wahid faction of the Sudan Liberation Army have forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes to other areas in the Darfur region, including Sortony.

Emergency relief to tens of thousands of displaced people from the Jebel Marra area, which straddles three Darfur states, has been ongoing since February.

“In Sortony, 33 Sudanese aid workers from five national and international organisations are dispensing emergency relief that includes food, water and sanitation. The Government's Water and Environmental Sanitation department and the national non-governmental organization Anhar Peace for Development Organisation are among those providing emergency shelter, household supplies and nutritional supplements to treat those suffering from malnutrition, including children,” elaborated Ms. Ruedas.

The humanitarian community relies on UNAMID's convoy escorts to provide timely emergency relief and civilian protection to those affected by conflict.

The Sortony IDP site is adjacent to that of UNAMID. Since 2007, UNAMID has been working in Darfur, protecting civilians, facilitating humanitarian assistance delivery by UN agencies and other aid organizations and providing safety and security to humanitarian personnel.