Situation of Bahr al-Ghazal IDPs “contained”

The Minister of International Cooperation, Dr Karim al-Din Abdel-Moula (Abd al-Mawla) has said that the situation of displaced people from Raga and Deim Zubeir (Daym al-Zubayr) in Western Bahr al-Ghazal, and who had settled in Southern Darfur, was “contained”, the daily ‘Khartoum Monitor’ reported. The situation in the displaced people’s camps was stable following the construction of shelters, opening of basic schools and enrolment of secondary school students in local schools, he said. The displaced had also begun cultivation activities, Abdel-Moula added. The report quoted him as saying that the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) settled in areas near Radom, Buram, Ed Daein (al-Duwaym) and El Ferdose (Al-Firdaws) was around 24,000, with another 6,000 IDPs from Western Bahr al-Ghazal in the [government-controlled] town of Wau. The IDPs who had taken shelter in and around ED Daein primary school - who numbered over 8,000 at the end of June - had been relocated to Um Herona (Umm Harunah) and the situation was gradually settling, humanitarian sources told IRIN. Food, seeds and farming tools had been distributed to allow cultivation, though efforts continued to be required in relation to the IDPs’ shelter, water, health and sanitation requirements, they said. Among the remaining issues in relation to the displaced people from Western Bahr al-Ghazal was humanitarian access, as rains had made some roads virtually impassable, especially around Radom, the sources said. In addition, there was a particular issue of access around Raga town, and to the north of it, as the government had declared it a military area, they said.