Despite the fall of the dictatorship, despite peace with several rebel groups in the province of Darfur in October 2020, the latter is experiencing an increase in violence, especially tribal violence. This outbreak is accompanied by the departure of UNAMID. The mission of the UN-African Union ended its mandate on 31 December. The Sudanese force to replace the peacekeepers is not yet ready.
With our regional correspondent, Sebastien nemeth
In his report released this month, the UN Secretary-General points to the escalation of violence in Darfur. Antonio Gutterres sees the phenomenon as “obvious evidence of a vacuum in the protection of civilians”.
On January 15, clashes between Masalit and Mahameed left 162 dead and 150,000 displaced. Three days later, clashes between Falatta and Rizeigat drove 20,000 people from their homes. Troops are sent out every time, but in fact. And they usually stay only a few days.
A Sudanese force is still not in place
These men are a group of policemen, military, paramilitary. But the real force of 12,000 fighters, which was to be created after the peace agreement in October between the government and the rebel, is only on paper. The international community is pushing for the government to use it. But as Luke Mhlaba, chief of staff for UNAMID, the UN-AU mission, says: “a well-trained force that respects human rights does not happen overnight.”
Humanitarian needs therefore remain enormous in Darfur, especially as they are added to an already vulnerable situation with tens of thousands of displaced people living in camps, some since 2003 and the start of the civil war.
These victims of the conflict are still unable to return to their villages of origin due to the prevailing uncertainty, the lack of state protection and some thorny issues that have never been resolved, such as land grabs.
About 150,000 people have been displaced by community violence in the El Geneina region. And aid workers have had difficulty accessing these people. But the situation is still volatile. In addition, this violence happened at the worst time during the harvest, so for many it is double the punishment.
Marianne Ward, Deputy Head of the World Food Program in Sudan
► To read also: Darfur: the attacks multiply despite the deployment of the joint force
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