Khartoum — Limited access to some parts of Jebel Marra hampers the humanitarian efforts to reach the needy in the mountainous area in Darfur.
Sudanese army intensified attacks on eastern Jebel Marra locations which are under the control of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement Army led by Abdel Wahid Al-Nur.
The air and ground attacks displaced thousands of civilians from their villages. But the peacekeeping force and the aid groups are denied by the Sudanese army from entering the area which is declared military operations zone.
“The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Mr. Georg Charpentier, is concerned by limitations on humanitarian access in view of intensified fighting in parts of Eastern Jebel Marra in Darfur,” said a statement released this week.
Charpentier nonetheless welcomed recent access by WHO and UNICEF to some parts of Eastern Jebel Marra, urging parties “to the conflict to facilitate humanitarian access on a regular basis”.
He also added he notes recent pledges from the Sudanese officials to enlarge access and to allow for coverage of the national immunization campaign that started on October 14.
The rebel SLM several times accused the Sudanese army and government militias, several times in the past, but the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) used to deny such attacks.
However on October 7, SAF spokesperson Al-Sawarmi Khaled said the army defeated SLM rebels in Jebel Marra announcing the opening of the traffic between Katour, Darban, Jawa and Souni which are now under the control of government troops.