Tens of thousands displaced by recent attacks in Darfur

An estimated 70,000 people have been displaced by recent attacks on two towns in the war-ravaged Sudanese state of South Darfur, humanitarian workers in the region said. At least 50,000 were displaced in a series of attacks on camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Mershing town, while more than 15,000 were displaced in separate attacks on nearby Shearia. "Roughly 20,000 residents and up to 35,000 IDPs from Mershing have arrived in [the nearby town of] Menawashi," said Dawn Blalock, spokeswoman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan, on Feb. 1. The first attack occurred on Jan. 24, when Arab militia attacked Mershing–approximately 50 miles north of the state capital, Nyala. They looted the central market as well as the houses and shelters of town residents and IDPs. According to ACT-Caritas, which has programs in South Darfur, gunmen on camels and horses prompted the mass exodus. Gillian Sandford, the NGO's field communicator, said the movement of people from Mershing started when Kele camp was looted. Attacks were also launched against three other camps. On Jan. 25, Ton Kittir was attacked, with the militia driving their camels and horses into the camp, firing their guns and looting shops. Another attack was carried out on the market three days later. According to ACT-Caritas, the 55,000 IDPs from Mershing are now huddled on exposed ground in Manawashi. During the attack on Shearia on Jan. 25, Sudanese armed forces clashed with rebels of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) east of the town, using heavy weapons. Sudanese government officials were not immediately available for comment. "Shearia is now completely deserted," an aid worker in the town said. "Approximately 15,000 people have moved into the hills south of Shearia." The attacks were reportedly perpetrated by Janjaweed militia supported by Sudanese armed forces. Reports also said the IDPs who fled Shearia were predominantly Zaghawa, the ethnic group from which the SLA in this part of Darfur draws much of its support. According to aid workers, the series of attacks seemed to be in retaliation for an SLA attack on Golo town in the nearby Jebel Marra Mountains on Jan. 24. Several Sudanese armed forces personnel were either killed or injured in that attack. Meanwhile, aid workers were concerned that many children in the region were extremely vulnerable, having been separated from their families during the latest attacks. Around Shearia, approximately 10 children had died due to lack of water, one aid worker said. According to the UN, the Darfur conflict continues to affect some 3.4 million people, of whom 1.8 million are internally displaced and 200,000 have fled to neighboring Chad.