The assessment team found thousands of “very vulnerable” people living in “very precarious conditions.”

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Concern

A Concern assessment of conditions in displaced camps in western Darfur has found thousands of “very vulnerable people” without proper food, shelter or water.

The assessment was carried out in a series of camps for displaced people, in Kolbus, north of El Geneina, where access was previously difficult due to conflict and insecurity.

The assessment team found thousands of “very vulnerable” people living in “very precarious conditions.” Some 50,000 people were housed in the camps.

Many were surviving on berries and other wild foods and had received little or no assistance to date.

Health problems were particularly evident among children – fevers, infections, measles, and diarrhoea – with deaths reported to be high in some camps. People had no access to health care or medicines.

Conditions in the camps will worsen with the full onset of the rainy season, due in a matter of days rather than weeks. This will also hamper the delivery and distribution of aid.

The assessment was carried out in conjunction with UNICEF and UNOCHA.

Many camp residents spoke of attacks on civilians – by both rebels and government-backed forces.

The activities of the warring parties – despite an April ceasefire – also hampered people’s search for food and shelter material outside the camps. Camp residents told of beatings and attacks by armed groups.

All exhibited high levels of need, indicative of the situation throughout Darfur, where conflict has displaced some 1.2m people.

In Aro Sharow camp, the Concern team reported that: “The people have been at this camp for two months.....they have not received any assistance to date. Their shelters are very poor, with only a few leaves protecting them from the elements. They have survived on wild food to date.....deaths are reported to be high among children.”

In Wadi Bari camp, people’s shelters “were simply a few twigs holding a plastic sheet, with little protection from the dust, the rain and the sun.

“The children are suffering from coughs, colds, respiratory infections, eye infections, fevers and diarrhoeas. People reported two children had died this week with fever.”

Over the last month, Concern has distributed shelter material and other essential aid to some 40,000 people in camps, in El Geneina.

In addition, Concern plans to provide supplementary food to 30,000 displaced people, over the next three months, followed by targeted food distributions.

Concern is also due to begin work on water, sanitation and hygiene systems. With the onset of the rainy season the risk of waterborne diseases will be heightened.

The Concern appeal for Sudan has raised E1.2m to date.

*Note for Editors UNOCHA - United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. El Geneina is the administrative capital of western Darfur and is located close to the Sudanese border with Chad.