Governor of Northern State representative inspects the conditions of IDPs in Al-Afad camp, accompanied by international and UN delegations

The representative of the Governor of the Northern State, Secretary of Social Affairs Manal Makawi, welcomed the significant humanitarian interventions provided by international and national organizations to assist and support, especially those displaced from Darfur and Kordofan states to Al-Afad camp in Al-Dabba locality.

During her visit to the camp, leading a delegation from the state government, and in the presence of the Commissioner of Humanitarian Aid, Dr. Wael Mohamed Sharif, representatives from the Artificial Limbs Center, and a number of social and humanitarian workers, Manal Makawi emphasized the honor of the visit by a delegation from the UNHCR, headed by the High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, and a delegation from the OCHA group and other participating organizations. She also highlighted the significant roles played by Al-Dabba locality, its security committee, and its emergency and crisis committee, as well as the efforts of all social and humanitarian partners.

Manal Makawi pointed out that the Northern State hosted approximately 4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in 185 shelters as a result of the war on April 15, 2023, in addition to other displaced persons, those stranded, and those in transit, as well as community-based hosts, across all seven localities of the state.

She added that the state was affected by floods and heavy rains due to climate change, resulting in damage to 40,000 homes, ranging from total to partial destruction. She also noted the impact on the agricultural and residential sectors due to the targeting of electricity facilities and substations by the rebel militia in Merowe, Ad-Dabba, and Dongola.

She added that the militia’s recent attack on El Fasher in North Darfur has caused a wave of displacement, with people flocking to the Al-Afad camp in Ad-Dabba, which is what we are witnessing during this visit.

Manal Makawi urged visiting UN delegations to convey to the displaced the true extent of their suffering and the efforts of the government, community, and charitable organizations, given the ongoing influx of people from Darfur and Kordofan states into the Northern State, specifically from the Ad-Dabba locality.

The Executive Director of Ad-Dabba locality, Mohamed Saber Kashkash, reviewed his locality’s efforts in hosting and sheltering the displaced, supporting the work of the government, community, organizations, and the Emergency and Crisis Committee in integrating those arriving from Darfur and Kordofan states into Ad-Dabba.

Kashkash emphasized that all official and community bodies and organizations are working in full coordination to host the displaced. He explained that there are three routes for receiving the displaced: the first is the Azhari Al-Mubarak camp in Al-Afad, which houses 2,008 displaced people; the second is outside the camp in Ad-Dabba city and surrounding areas, accommodating approximately 7,000 families; and the third involves families hosted by the community, numbering around 32,000, who receive comprehensive services across various sectors through the state and local Emergency and Services Committees.

Kashkash highlighted several shortcomings in the camp related to healthcare, particularly preventative and curative services, as the existing clinics operate primarily as emergency centers. He called for direct support for Al-Dabba Hospital to alleviate the pressure on it by receiving patients from the camp.

Kashkash affirmed the government and community’s capacity to host any influx of displaced persons, emphasizing that this does not negate the need for international support, specifically from international and UN organizations, as this is their right to provide for displaced persons and newcomers.

Meanwhile, Al-Sadiq Suleiman Yaqoub, Assistant Director General of the Refugee Commission for Khartoum, Northern, and River Nile States, noted their participation, along with the UN delegation, in a visit to Al-Afad camp to assess the conditions of those displaced from Darfur and Kordofan states.

Al-Sadiq Suleiman added that the visit was successful, as the UN delegation was able to identify the camp’s needs and the possibility of providing necessary support. He confirmed that the Commission’s Administrative Director, Amina Abbas Hassan, also participated in the delegation to gain firsthand knowledge of the overall situation at Al-Afad camp in Al-Dabba.