Tens of thousands displaced by Bahr al-Ghazal fighting

Fighting associated with an offensive by the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and its capture of Raga town in western Bahr al-Ghazal have led to the displacement of an estimated 30,000 civilians, according to diverse humanitarian sources. “We estimate that the current military activities in western Bahr al-Ghazal have displaced at least 20,000,” the Sudanese Catholic Information Office (SCIO) on Friday quoted Phelibe Donoso, Deputy Head of Delegation of ICRC-Sudan, as saying. UN sources put the number of IDPs in Bahr al-Ghazal state at 30,000. Donoso said the ICRC was trying to assist the displaced civilians, many of whom had arrived at Timsah (north of Raga), and that the Spanish Red Cross Society had set up a station to assist civilians fleeing the fighting. Some who did not flee were reported to have retreated into villages and bushes around Raga; others had remained in the town, according to the SCIO.

Tension remained high in much of Bahr al-Ghazal, forcing most humanitarian activities to a halt, the Catholic agency stated. “Locations from Tonj (7.17N 28.45 E) northwards remain no-go areas, forcing both church and humanitarian agencies to suspend their flights to the region,” it said. The recent SPLA offensive, the rebels’ seizure of Raga and the resultant resumption of bombings by the government since 2 June have given rise to serious concerns about the situation in Bahr al-Ghazal, according to humanitarian sources.