Sudan: Darfur Network – Armed Herders Threaten to Attack Kalma Camp

Kampala — The large Kalma camp for displaced people neighbouring Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, is facing a dire situation as an armed group of Arab herders has surrounded the camp. They demand the return of cattle they claim were stolen by the camp’s residents.

The Kampala-based Darfur Network for Human Rights (DNHR) yesterday repeated its call to “the United Nations and the Security Council for urgent action to prevent further violence” in Kalma.

“Without swift intervention, the already vulnerable population of Kalma camp faces severe violence and looting. Immediate action from the international community and local authorities is necessary to prevent escalation.”

The Darfur Network reported on Monday that the armed men threaten to plunder the camp if their demands are not met.

This is not the first instance of aggression, it says. On September 27, the same group abducted a 14-year-old El Nour Ahmed from the camp, demanding cattle or compensation for the cows in exchange for his release. “After intervention by several parties, the boy was freed, but tensions have since escalated.”

The Darfur Network also calls on the RSF, “responsible for camp security”, to protect the displaced people in Kalma.

Kalma, with a population of more than 126,000 people in 2022, is one of the largest camps for displaced people in Darfur. The population has grown since war erupted in April last year between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in many parts of the country, including Darfur. The RSF took “full control” of Nyala in October.

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The Famine Review Committee reported more than two months ago that one in every four children under five in Kalma camp was acutely malnourished.

Ethnic-based violence

In its report yesterday, the DNHR also reports the killing of an 18-year-old displaced man by RSF soldiers in the market of Dankoj, about 35 kilometres northeast of the Central Darfur capital of Zalingei, on October 8

According to his mother, the victim, a resident of the Hamidiya camp, was targeted because of his Fur ethnicity.

The killing is “reflecting rising ethnic tensions in the region,” DNHR notes. “This incident has escalated fears of further tribal conflict and highlights the ongoing violence and insecurity in Central Darfur. Immediate action is required to prevent further ethnic-based violence.”

Early October, RSF soldiers entered the Hamidiya camp near Zalingei, informing the camp leaders that the governor of Central Darfur had requested a meeting with 20 community representatives. The RSF and the governor have accused the camp of harbouring members of rebel movements “aligned with the SAF, heightening security tensions within the camp”.

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