17,000 refugees face tough humanitarian situation in Darfur

Over 17,000 refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) are facing tough humanitarian conditions in the remote South Darfur area of Um Dafug near the border with the Central African Republic (CAR), a local official told Sudan Tribune.

Tribal clashes in Central Darfur state forced some 9800 people to flee their village to Um Dafug. Also, the district received over 1,200 refugees from the CAR, along with 6,000 Sudanese who moved back to their country as result of the sectarian fighting in the troubled neighboring country.

The commissioner of Um Dafug Mohamed Ali Sharif, said the county is harboring over 17,000 people including IDPs, refugees and returnees who fled the violence between Christian and Muslim militias in the CAR. “All of them are living in miserable humanitarian conditions. The IDPs and refugees are in desperate need of basic services including life-saving food, health and the environment services as well as shelter materials,” Sharif said.

He said that the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) delivered on Monday humanitarian assistance to the needy in Um Dafug. He also praised the efforts exerted by the humanitarian groups in the state expressing hope to provide all the necessary needs for the affected population.

They also underlined the need to provide sufficient quantities of potable water, and erecting safe sanitation facilities. “66 per cent of people in Um Dafug practice open defecation”, said an inter-agency report.

 [Sudan Tribune]

This entry was posted in Humanitarian Aid, International Cooperation by Grant Montgomery.