Exclusive…Darfur24
In light of its continuous bombing of areas in the Darfur states, the Sudanese army’s warplanes forced a number of citizens to flee their areas for fear of losing lives.
Since the start of the battles between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces in mid-April 2023, warplanes have launched many air strikes on the cities of Nyala, Umm al-Qura and Yara in South Darfur, El Daein in East Darfur, El Geneina Airport in West Darfur, El Fasher, Zarq, Umm Kadada and Jadid al-Sil in North Darfur.
These raids left hundreds dead and wounded, in addition to the destruction of facilities, service institutions, and water stations.
Renewed displacement
Darfur 24 monitored the displacement of residents of the Al-Zarq area in North Darfur to the localities of Kutum, Al-Koma, and east of Al-Fasher, after air raids on the area that left 5 dead and 22 injured.
A citizen from the Zarq area, Abdulaziz Habib, told “Darfur 24” that they were forced to flee to the east of El Fasher, but the warplanes pursued them again and launched a new raid on them, killing 6 people, including 3 women.
“Darfur 24” was unable to confirm the killing numbers from official and medical sources.
Habib pointed out that these raids led to the displacement of more than 3,000 residents of Al-Zarq and its complete evacuation, and hundreds of shepherds fled with their livestock towards the outskirts of Wadi Hour, adjacent to the area, after the aircraft struck most of the water sources in the area.
He denounced the silence of international and national organizations regarding the air raids and their clear targeting of nomadic tribes and herders.
He revealed that some families were displaced again to the city of Nyala despite being subjected to air strikes.
The Supreme Coordination Committee for Pastoralists and Nomads, in a previous statement seen by Darfur 24, condemned the air strikes on nomadic and herders’ areas at the instigation of media platforms and the leadership of the Sudanese army, and said that they target the forced displacement of nomads and herders.
The displacement of El Fasher residents due to aviation
Yasser Mahmoud, a member of the change and services committees in the Dim Silk neighborhood in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, told Darfur 24 that most of the residents of the eastern and northern neighborhoods of El Fasher were displaced to the localities of Umm Kadada, Al Koma, Dar Al Salam, the Zamzam camp for the displaced, and some peripheral areas such as Umm Shujaira, Golo, west of El Fasher, and Um. Marahik, north of El Fasher, due to repeated air strikes on the city.
He reported that the number of casualties in the five air strikes on the city of El Fasher left more than 10 dead and a number of injured, in addition to the destruction of citizens’ homes without clearly targeting military targets of the Rapid Support Forces.
Yasser estimated the number of people fleeing El Fasher neighborhoods due to warplanes at approximately 30,000 citizens.
Amna Muhammad Omar, a displaced person in the Southern School shelter center in El Fasher city, said that most of the displaced people in the shelter centers left Nyala after the air strikes.
She added: “Everyone who has the financial ability has returned to Nyala, and only some vulnerable families remain who do not have the money for travel tickets.”
She appealed to the parties to the conflict to stop the war and stop flying, which she said had become a terror for children.
Al-Daein raids are the most violent
Sudanese army warplanes carried out air strikes on the city of El Daein, the capital of East Darfur, last week, leaving 6 dead and more than 4 injured. It also led to the displacement of residents of some neighborhoods in the city to the areas of Adila, east of the city, Shaeria, Al Firdaus, and Abu Karinka.
Citizen Marwa Muhammad Saeed, who was displaced from the city of El Geneina to Nyala and from there to Al Daein, described the bombing of the city of Al Daein as the most violent.
Marwa told “Darfur 24” that her children ask her when she will leave the city, as she has decided to seek refuge in Libya, but the step requires her to wait a little in order to save money for travel.
Working to impose a no-fly zone
In the city of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, the Sudanese army’s warplanes launched more than 6 air strikes since the fall of the 16th Infantry Division in Nyala in late October last year, leaving a number of dead and wounded exceeding 130, according to unofficial statistics.
Civil activist Dr. Fadl Al-Ghali Musa revealed that a million signatures had been collected from the people of the region, to be submitted to the UN Security Council to activate the resolution issued by the Council to ban military aviation in the Darfur region.
Military aircraft raids on the city caused the displacement of citizens from some neighborhoods to localities in the state, including Raheed Al-Bardi, Ad Al-Fursan, Mershing, and Belayel, while some families took refuge in neighboring countries.