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Sudan: UN humanitarian chief urges full and unhindered access to Darfur camp

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  • Sudan: UN humanitarian chief urges full and unhindered access to Darfur camp

    UN humanitarian chief urges full and unhindered access to Darfur camp

    John Holmes, USG for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Relief Coordinator

    13 August 2010 ? The United Nations humanitarian chief today called for immediate access to a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sudan?s Darfur region that has been closed off to aid workers for nearly two weeks, voicing concern about the needs of the 82,000 people residing there.

    ?I am extremely concerned about the welfare of the IDPs at Kalma camp, to whom we have not been able to deliver relief for 13 days,? said John Holmes, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.

    The Kalma camp in South Darfur has been the scene of recent tensions following the conclusion of the latest round of peace talks in Doha, Qatar, with some groups contending they were unrepresented. Thousands of IDPs took part in deadly protests in the camp.

    In addition, Government officials in South Darfur are demanding that the joint UN-AU peacekeeping force, known as UNAMID, hand over six local leaders ? five men and one woman ? who sought protection at the mission?s community policing centre (CPC) outside the camp following last week?s protests.

    A UNAMID team that visited Kalma on Tuesday reported that large parts of the camp appeared deserted, the inhabitants having left for either the CPC or one of the surrounding villages.

    UN humanitarian agencies and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that have aid programmes in Kalma are still being prevented from entering the camp by local authorities on the ground, despite recent reassurances that such restrictions had not been imposed, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a news release.

    ?We need immediate access so we can respond to the needs and conditions of those remaining there. We also need to find out how many people have left, and where they have gone, in order to provide relief to them too,? said Mr. Holmes, adding that many thousands of IDPs from Kalma remain unaccounted for.

    UN agencies and NGOs are prepared to resume humanitarian operations immediately to provide the IDPs with the necessary food, water and sanitation, health, nutritional support, shelter and non-food items.

    OCHA noted that constraints on aid agencies operating in the strife-torn region have been steadily increasing since March 2009, when 11 international NGOs were expelled from Darfur, where some 300,000 people are estimated to have been killed and another 2.7 million others displaced from their homes since fighting erupted in 2003 between rebel groups and Government forces backed by Janjaweed militiamen.

    Two staff members from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) were also expelled last month.

    In addition to the obstruction of aid efforts at Kalma camp, approximately 100,000 people affected by fighting in the eastern Jebel Marra region have been unreachable since February, it added.

    ?The United Nations has been in close contact with the relevant Sudanese authorities to restore access to both Kalma and eastern Jebel Marra, but until today progress has not been forthcoming,? said Mr. Holmes. If access is not urgently restored, the situation could deteriorate rapidly, he warned.

    http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.as...&Cr=Darfur&Cr1=
    "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
    -Nelson Mandela

  • #2
    Re: Sudan: UN humanitarian chief urges full and unhindered access to Darfur camp

    Darfur: probe underway into abduction of two UN-African Union peacekeepers

    UNAMID peacekeepers have been ambushed by unknown armed men while conducting their duties in Darfur


    14 August 2010 ? An investigation is underway into the abduction of two police advisors serving with the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in the strife-torn Darfur region of Sudan who were seized early Saturday.

    The incident happened at approximately 7:55 this morning in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, according to a news release issued by the mission, known as UNAMID.

    The two officers, who had been walking to a UNAMID transport dispatch point, were 100 metres from their residence in the city's Almatar area when they were blocked by three individuals in a 4x4 vehicle.

    ?The perpetrators seized the peacekeepers at gunpoint and sped off,? stated the mission.

    An investigation into the incident is underway by Government authorities and UNAMID, which has been in place since the start of 2008 to protect civilians and quell the violence in Darfur, where nearly seven years of fighting has killed at least 300,000 people and driven 2.7 million others from their homes.

    Today's incident is the latest in a series of attacks against UNAMID personnel in recent months, including the ambush last month of peacekeepers on patrol in West Darfur that resulted in injuries to seven blue helmets, as well as another ambush in June in the same region that killed three soldiers and seriously wounded a fourth.

    The attack also comes amid recent violence and ongoing tensions at the Kalma camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in South Darfur following the latest round of peace talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, aimed at bringing an end to the Darfur conflict, with some of the camp's residents saying they were not fully represented.

    http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.as...&Cr=UNAMID&Cr1=
    "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
    -Nelson Mandela

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Sudan: UN humanitarian chief urges full and unhindered access to Darfur camp

      Ban speaks out against recent attacks directed at UN staff in Darfur

      UNAMID peacekeepers patrol the Kalma Camp for internally displaced people in Nyala, South Darfur, Sudan


      16 August 2010 ? Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed concern over a string of recent incidents that have contributed to a worsening of the situation in Sudan?s strife-torn Darfur region, where tensions continue at a camp for displaced persons and two United Nations-African Union peacekeepers were seized on Saturday.


      An investigation is still under way into the abduction of the two police advisors who serve with the joint UN-AU peacekeeping force (UNAMID), which was set up to protect civilians and quell the violence in Darfur, where nearly seven years of fighting has killed at least 300,000 people and driven 2.7 million others from their homes.

      ?Continued attacks on UNAMID peacekeepers and abductions and mistreatment of UN staff and humanitarian workers will only aggravate the situation,? Mr. Ban?s spokesperson said in a statement.

      The incident is the latest in a series of attacks against UNAMID personnel in recent months, and comes as tensions continue at the Kalma camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nyala, South Darfur.

      Violence erupted at the camp late last month following the latest round of peace talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, aimed at bringing an end to the Darfur conflict, with some of the camp?s residents saying they were not fully represented.

      Mr. Ban, according to the statement, appreciated the restoration today of some humanitarian access to Kalma camp, which is home to an estimated 82,000 people and which had been off limits to UN humanitarian agencies and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for nearly two weeks.

      In addition to the obstruction of aid efforts at Kalma camp, approximately 100,000 people affected by fighting in the eastern Jebel Marra region have been unreachable since February, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

      The Office noted that constraints on aid agencies operating in Darfur have been steadily increasing since March 2009, when 11 international NGOs were expelled from the region.

      The Secretary-General called on the Sudanese Government ?to apprehend and bring to justice those who attack UN staff and humanitarian workers and to take all possible measures to ensure that humanitarian access to all Sudanese remains open and humanitarian space protected,? the statement added.

      http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.as...&Cr=Darfur&Cr1=
      "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
      -Nelson Mandela

      Comment

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