At least thirteen people have been killed and nearly 5,600 displaced as a result of recent fighting between two rebel factions in Sudan’s western Central Darfur state, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has confirmed.
The agency said on its website that fighting between factions of the Sudan Liberation Army-Abdel Wahid (SLA-AW) broke out on November 19 in the town of Shamal Yamal Marra and spread to nearby areas.
Thus, he pointed out that «community leaders indicate that thirteen people have died, four have been injured, twelve are missing and six have been abducted», while about 32,000 people «have lost access to their farms and fields due to insecurity, while some farms have been burned down».
«A number of approximately 5,600 people have fled their homes and taken refuge in Sabanaga and Toga IDP camps and in the localities of Tartora, Kumay and Jokosti,» he said, before highlighting that there are also reports of people fleeing to South Darfur state.
OCHA noted that the Sabanga and Toga camps are already hosting about 16,000 people who «now share their food, shelter, water, hygiene materials and health services with the newly displaced».
«The situation remains tense and unpredictable and there are reports that both sides are mobilizing their forces for more conflict,» he said, before confirming that «security forces have been deployed in the affected areas, which are now inaccessible to humanitarian workers because of insecurity.»
The Darfur region has been the scene of an upsurge in inter-communal tensions despite the historic October 2020 peace agreement with several rebel groups, which seeks to end the fighting that erupted in 2003 and has left at least 300,000 people dead and more than 2.5 million displaced.
Former President Omar Hassan al-Bashir — overthrown in a coup d’état in April 2019 — as well as other senior officials during his tenure, are wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the framework of this conflict.
