Full war in Darfur flares up with new displacements

KORMA (24 Sept- Update 2) – The war in North Darfur has been renewed. The fighting in and around Korma has ceased but a new front has appeared in Ayn Sirro in West Jebel Marra. The first displaced people have arrived from these parts of North Darfur to the capital, El Fasher. The first group of people arrived yesterday (Tuesday) in Al Salaam camp. Sudan Air Forces were continuing aerial bombings of the area of Korma in North Darfur for several days. UN chief Ban Ki Moon condemned the fighting and said he is deeply concerned about the latest developments. Only a few weeks ago the UN declared the Darfur war as being “over and finished”.  But the spokesman of UNAMID told Radio Dabanga today that a UNAMID patrol is on the way to inspect what has happened in Korma. He said that UNAMID offered to go there before, but both parties – SLM-Abdel Wahid and the government – warned the UN against doing so for fear of causing casualties amongst the peacekeepers. The government air forces have been mainly targeting the position of the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid al Nur, who told Radio Dabanga that his troops left Korma “temporarily” as they had before. “But we are ready to come back,” he said. Abdel Wahid’s field commander Nimr Abdelrahman said that his troops are expecting more attacks in West and South Jebel Marra, but also in the Meidob mountains. He asked the UN to protect their civilians. The reports concerning Korma are contradictory. The government claimed it had conquered the area and also citizens gave eyewitness reports to Radio Dabanga about raping and pillaging of villages. Rebel soldiers and other citizens said that the government has no control over the town and surrounding villages. An eyewitness described the situation to Radio Dabanga as “tragic and complex.” People were dispersed and had to flee to the surrounding mountains seeking protection and safety. Citizens further told Radio Dabanga that a girl had died after being raped by gunmen, but more details could not be confirmed yet. Citizens described a worsening humanitarian situation caused by the military operations. People moved towards Tawila and El Fasher. Some told Radio Dabanga that they were hindered from moving towards El Fasher. Local reporters of Radio Dabanga notified that villages were totally burnt down. The UN office known as OCHA said that it has insufficient information on the humanitarian situation in Korma and it is still waiting for more information to evaluate the situation. According to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, the governor of North Darfur State Osman Mohamed Yousif Kibir says that “there is no fighting.” At the same time he admits that “the army has been expanding the security base to cover Korma which has witnessed limited presence of the SLM-Abdul Wahid faction.” He explained that “The army entered the area to enable the internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return to their home areas.” He also said that the army is currently taking control of the area and establishing security. He said that the government is arranging “for the voluntary return of the IDPs.”