Armed groups carry out daily attack on Darfur Kalama displaced

Friday 19 October 2007.

October 18, 2007 (NYALA) — Khartoum backed armed groups carry out daily attacks inside Darfur biggest camp in order to spread violence and force internally displaced persons to evacuate the camps, reports received from South Darfur say.

A Sudanese woman refugee arriving from Labado protects herself from the wind at Kalma Camp, near Nyala in Sudan’s South Darfur region 09 January 2005. (AFP).

Kalma camp is the most volatile one, but also the biggest IDPs camps. It is seen as supporting the Darfur rebel Sudan Liberation Movement founder and chairman Abdelwahid Mohamed al-Nur, who refuse to take part in the ongoing peace process demanding security for Darfur civilians before talks.

Since two days armed groups enter to the camp of Kalma in South Darfur state and attack habitants of the camp. Armed militia elements killed on Wednesday a displaced called Mahmoud Ishac, Sudan Tribune has learnt.

Asked by telephone, al-Nur confirmed the reports. He further accused Sudanese government of organizing regular attacks against civilians. "Civilians fear attacks and they are terrorized" he said.

The rebel leader urged the international community to accelerate the deployment of the 26, 000 peacekeepers in the region. He also urged pressures on the Sudanese government to stop the killing of Darfur civilian.

Up to last year, the government backed janjaweed militia attacked the IDPs particularly women who go out the camp to collect wood. The militia were always present out side the camps.

Sudanese forces surrounded and attacked Darfur’s most volatile camp on Tuesday August 21 to flush out rebels they say are behind attacks on two police posts.

International experts estimate some 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million driven from their homes since mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003.

Khartoum agreed to a 26,000-strong joint U.N.-AU force which will absorb the AU mission and try to stop violence which has hampered the world’s largest aid operation in Darfur. Some 500,000 people are out of reach of relief workers.

(ST)