Weapons of Mass Displacement in Sudan

By Charlotte Brudenell, ACT-Caritas

Otash camp, South Darfur, Sudan -- The heart sinks as the brain tries to make sense of the scene presented by the eyes. This is a strange field--bamboo canes and sticks covered with an amalgamation of pieces of plastic sheeting, matting, sacks, and cloth. These semi-circular and square mounds, just big enough for a few people to shelter inside, are refuge for thousands of people.

Over the past two months, more than 10,000 people have arrived in Otash camp, fleeing attacks on their homes in the Tulus and Buram localities in Sudans South Darfur province.
"At 6 oclock on the morning of the 30th of August, 100 uniformed, armed men, riding camels and horses and some driving cars with big guns in the back, attacked our village," says Sherif*, recounting a sequence of events that is all too familiar in the Darfur conflict.
"The attackers stole all the assets in our houses, he continues. And if they found any man, they would shoot him directly," adds his cousin, Adam*. Read more >>>