Scores killed in ongoing clashes in West Darfur - ICRC

Continuing clashes between two communities of Arab nomads near the town of Zalingei in West Darfur have left around 60 people dead and hundreds of families displaced, aid workers said on Thursday. "The clashes near Zalingei started a month and a half ago, with ups and downs, but they resumed six days ago [on 9 December]. The fighting was very intense," said Lorena Brander, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Sudan. A local observer said the fighting between the cattle-herding Hotiya-Baggara and the camel-herding Newiba-Aballa nomads was probably caused by a dispute over local resources and cattle. "Around 60 people were reportedly killed in the fighting, which was still continuing on Monday, and forced newly displaced people to IDP [internally displaced person] settlements in Zalingei," Radhia Achouri, spokeswoman for the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), said. During earlier clashes in the area in October, between 150 and 200 people were reportedly killed and thousands of cattle stolen, Achouri added. Aid workers estimated that by Thursday, around 250 families of between six and eight people each had arrived in Zalingei. "Our surgical team, which arrived in Zalingei five days ago, has treated 30 war-wounded people so far," Brander noted. Comprising a surgeon, an anaesthetist, a surgical nurse and a ward nurse, the team treats wounded people in Darfur in situations where no trained surgeons are available or where existing facilities are struggling to meet the needs. The ICRC was assisting families coming into the IDP camps in the area, Brander added. An assessment was underway to establish their needs in terms of food and non-food items. Meanwhile, an African Union (AU)-led assessment team that arrived in Sudan on 10 December concluded its review of the operations of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS) after visiting all eight sectors across Darfur where AMIS has an operational presence. The assessment team concluded that the presence of AMIS had contributed to reducing the number of ceasefire violations and afforded some level of protection for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Several AMIS commanders had also engaged in local reconciliation efforts, to reduce tensions and to prevent violent incidents. The assessment team noted, however, that the prevailing security situation did not allow for the return of IDPs and refugees in significant numbers. It said banditry, harassment of civilians, as well as tensions and skirmishes between ethnic communities were rife throughout Darfur and remained an unresolved security challenge. The findings will form the basis of recommendations the AU Commission will make to the AU Peace and Security Council early in January 2006 on how to further enhance the effectiveness of the 53-nation bloc's forces in Darfur. The Darfur conflict erupted in February 2003 when the rebels took up arms to fight "discrimination and oppression" by the Sudanese government. The government is accused of unleashing militia on civilians in an attempt to quash the rebellion. Some 3.4 million people have been affected by the conflict.