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Families surviving on mangoes after fleeing violence in Jebel Marra, Darfur

20 Jun 2021
Press release
Related Countries
Sudan
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20 June 2021 –Thousands of people have been displaced without food, water or basic sanitation following clashes in Jebel Marra, South Darfur State.

An attack on Danganya village left over 20 people dead and an unknown number of casualties. The village, which is next to a goldmine, was looted and partly burnt, and local residents fled to the nearby village of Tore. Most of the displaced ran away with only the clothes they were wearing.

Jebel Marra is an isolated and mountainous area between Central, South and North Darfur States, where food insecurity is common. People have to travel for hours by donkey or foot to reach medical care. MSF was running a mobile clinic in the nearby area of Kalo Kitting at the time of the violence, and the team immediately went to the area to provide support.

“Besides mangoes, there is a complete lack of food. People have been sleeping out in the open under the trees or in destroyed buildings, with no protection from the sun or rain. They have very little water to drink, and no access to latrines or soap,” said Anna Bylund, MSF’s project coordinator in South Darfur.

As well as treating eight people injured in the fighting, MSF’s mobile clinics in Tore and Kalo Kitting between 7-9 June provided consultations for 685 people, including therapeutic food for 38 cases of moderate and severe acute malnutrition. MSF teams also distributed soap, jerry cans for water storage, plastic sheeting and mats for shelter, and mosquito nets.