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Darfur: Thousands flee to African Union-UN peacekeepers base for safety

22 February 2009 – Aerial bombardments over the South Darfur town of Muhajeria, the scene of recent violent clashes between Sudanese Government forces and a rebel militia, have forced thousands to a United Nations peacekeepers base in search of safety, the joint African Union-UN mission to the region (UNAMID) reported today.

UNAMID estimated that about 5,000 people have fled to its base in search of safety for a second time since fighting broke out in the middle of last month between the Government of Sudan and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebels, exposing tens of thousands of civilians to the deadly violence.

Earlier this week, the Deputy Governor of South Darfur gave assurances that the UN would receive continued access to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to around 100,000 people caught up in the latest outburst of hostilities on Sudan''s western flank.

There was further hope for stability in the region when Government and JEM representatives met on Tuesday for the first time in two years to sign the “Agreement of Good Will and Confidence Building for the Settlement of the Problem in Darfur.”

The hybrid AU-UN peacekeeping force also reported that its police unit will conduct night patrols for the first time at a new community policing centre (CPC) constructed between two large camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) near El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

The move, which starts tonight, means that the interim CPC will provide continuous 24-hour operations as part of UNAMID''s efforts to enhance its protection of the tens of thousands of residents taking shelter at the Abu Shouk and El Salaam camps for IDPs.

A delegation of IDPs from El Salaam camp has also thanked UNAMID Police for its help in securing the recent release of several IDPs from detention by Sudanese national intelligence officers.

Construction will start within the next two weeks on another interim CPC near Zamzam, an IDP camp close to El Fasher, according to UNAMID.

The hybrid force was set up by the Security Council to protect civilians on the western flank of Sudan, where an estimated 300,000 people have been killed and another 2.7 million have been forced from their homes since fighting erupted in 2003, pitting rebels against Government forces and allied Janjaweed militiamen.

One year on from transferring the task of suppressing the violence to UNAMID from the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS), some 12,374 blue helmets are now in place across Darfur, just over 60 per cent of the 19,555 military personnel authorized by the Security Council.