In the last month, there has been intense fighting in the Jebel Marra area of South Darfur between Sudanese Government forces and the SLA-AW.
While it is difficult to pin point the exact date of the first attack, the GoS offensive against the SLA-AW stronghold is said to have started late February and killed an estimated 400 civilians, while displacing 100,000.
South and North Eastern, and Northern parts of Jebel Marra have been worst hit with some towns exposed to continuous air attacks from Sudanese Government helicopters, Antonov and MiG planes as well as ground attacks by the SAF and Janjaweed on camel backs. These forces are said to open fire indiscriminately on civilians as they attack villages.
UNAMID has failed to investigate the attacks and negotiate humanitarian access to the region, leaving humanitarian NGOs unable to deliver aid to the 100 000 civilians said to have been affected by the fighting.
Deribat, a town of 50 000 people, was subject of a two day attack on 25 and 16 February. Over 40 civilians and 73 army soldiers are thought to have been killed in the two day attack. The town has been continuously attacked since late February and it is said to be completely destroyed and empty. UN sources indicated in early March that civilian death could be estimated at 400.
Humanitarian context
Since 11 February, international humanitarian agencies pulled out their staff and stopped providing aid due to the insecurity from the fighting, since then civilians have had no access to vital assistance and continue to find themselves the target of fighting. Medecins du Monde went public with its decision to pull out on 3 March, calling on armed forces to end the fighting.
Government forces have stopped UNAMID from carrying out all but one assessment mission in Jebel Mara. SLA-AW forces have also allegedly been threatening UNAMID and humanitarians’ access to the area. A statement was indeed released by the SLA-AW military spokesperson warning all aid convoys not to enter Jebel Marra especially the areas under the faction's control, although this was later denied by the SLA.
The lack of information on which force control which area and divisions within the SLA-AW have complicated localised negotiations for access.
This lack of humanitarian access is particularly concerning given that the population in there was already identified as vulnerable from a health and nutritional point of view. There are no health services available at present in the area, which has an estimated population of 100,000 people.
On 5 March, when UNAMID tried to verify the government’s claim to control Deribat, its troops were ambushed. Vehicles and arms were looted. The government and the rebels blamed each other for the ambush.
No other effective action has been taken by UNAMID or the UN to publicly denounce the fighting in Jebel Mara and ensure humanitarian access.
The fighting in Jebel Mara isn’t even mentioned in the daily situation report by issued by the Humanitarian Liason office of UNAMID on 2 March. Instead, the report discusses a Retreat on the “Nexus between Peace, Security, Recovery and Development in Darfur” organized by the head of UNAMID and attended by the Special Envoys for Sudan of China, France, the UK, the USA and the Special Representative of the European Union in Sudan. No mention of Jebel Mara was made in the concluding Statement of the meeting.
On 21 March, the head of UNAMID, Ibrahim Gambari, attended the Donor’s Conference for the Development and Reconstruction of Darfur, organized by the Organisation of Islamic Conference and held under the co-chairmanship of Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. While the US and the UK did not pledge money at the conference because of security concerns in Darfur, no public statement was made by Gambari with regards to the situation in Jebel Mara and the Final Declaration of the Conference praised the “positive development that recently took place, namely, the resumption of negotiations between the Government and armed Movements in Darfur”
Conclusion
UNAMID and the UN humanitarian team has not prioritised addressing the Jebel Mara attacks at Khartoum level and failing to ensure humanitarian access to the region and the protection of civilians within the area.
The lack of information about developments in Jebel Mara in the daily Situation Reports from the UNAMID Humanitarian Liaison Office are revealing, as is the fact that UNAMID only carried out one fact-finding mission to Jebel Mara. Engagement at a higher level at UNAMID and at UN Secretariat level is urgently needed.
With 100,000 civilians feared displaced and lacking all basic services, the situation is dire. UNAMID leadership and the UN Secretariat must immediately raise the issue at Khartoum level to ensure that:
- the Sudanese authorities and forces in Jebel Marra authorise UNAMID and humanitarian agencies access to Eastern Jebel Marra with no further delay so that humanitarian needs can be assessed and met before more civilians die.
- ensure that UNAMID fulfils its core mandate to protect Darfuri civilians and to provide a safe and secure environment for humanitarian workers to operate in.
While the current widely accepted narrative that Darfur is peaceful and that a long-lasting peace is near is an attractive narrative, in particular in the run up to the April Sudan elections, the reality on the ground in Darfur is far from that perfect image. The case of Jebel Marra where civilians are being targeted and bombed from their villages is a stark example of the Government’s lack of commitment to peace and stability in Sudan.
Action:
Waging Peace has sent letters to the head of UNAMID, Ibrahim Gambari; UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, calling on them to
- ensure that the violent situation in Jebel Marra and the resulting humanitarian crisis is raised as an issue that needs urgent attention with top level African Union representatives and delegates.
- ensure that the Sudanese military and rebel forces in Jebel Marra authorise UNAMID and humanitarian agencies access to Eastern Jebel Marra with no further delay so that humanitarian needs can be assessed and met before more civilians die.
- ensure that the Head of UNAMID, Professor Ibrahim Gambari is doing all he can to enable UNAMID forces to gain safe access to the troubled areas to investigate the attacks and negotiate humanitarian access to the region as a matter of urgency
- remind UNAMID that its core mandate is to protect Darfuri civilians and to provide a safe and secure environment for humanitarian workers to operate in, and ensure that this is followed.
See here for more information:
http://blogs.ssrc.org/sudan/2010/03/11/the-war-for-jebel-marra/
http://www.medecinsdumonde.org/gb/Press/Press-release/International/Combats-dans-le-Jebel-Mara-100-000-civils-prives-d-acces-aux-soins
