Sudan: Militia Continue Attacks - Hundreds Flee

Hundreds Flee Western Sudan As Militia Continue Attacks, Un Refugee Agency Says

Hundreds of Sudanese fleeing attacks by Janjaweed militias in the western Darfur area must be transferred to refugee camps located well away from the Chadian border before the rainy season begins, the United Nations refugee agency said today.

Nearly 81,000 refugees are now living in the seven camps in eastern Chad, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman Kris Janowski told the press in Geneva.

The figure is up from some 78,000, the total UNHCR gave last Friday.

In the Sennette area, near the Chadian border town of Birak, a UNHCR team is pre-registering 250 new refugees who said the Janjaweed militia attacked their villages last Saturday afternoon, he said.

Those refugees, mainly women and children, walked all night, crossed the border and built makeshift shelters in Chad, Mr. Janowski said. They are slated to be relocated further west in Mille camp.

Today 14,000 registered refugees in the northern border town of Bahai are receiving sorghum, oil and beans from the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

Meanwhile, the existing camp in Kounoungo, which houses over 8,200 refugees, would be extended to shelter a further 4,000, Mr. Janowski said.

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