By KUNA
Geneva : The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed Friday shock at the level of destruction in Sirba, one of the West Darfur locations that came under Sudanese government attack earlier this month.
UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond told reporters that residents of the town pleaded for help in securing their villages.
They also told a joint UN mission that fleeing to neighboring Chad was dangerous because of the ongoing conflict as well as banditry, and expressed concern about their compatriots who had fled across the border to eastern Chad three weeks ago.
The recent attacks also affected the nearby villages Silea and Abou Sourouj.
Before the attack, the three villages had a total population of about 30, 000, some of whom have now fled to the Birak area of eastern Chad.
The assessment mission noted that many villagers who had been internally displaced as a result of the February 8 air raids had returned to Sirba.
In eastern Chad, meanwhile, a UNHCR and MSF-Suisse humanitarian convoy trying to reach the border from the Chadian town of Guereda today had to turn back because of military activity on the other side of the border in Darfur.
While in Cameroon, Redmond said that the refugee agency has transported 2, 400 Chadian refugees from Kousseri to Maltam 1 camp since last Saturday.
Additional convoys are scheduled for the coming days and we expect some 15, 000 people to move to Maltam from Madana transit site and from churches and schools in Kousseri.
“Refugees tell our team that they do not feel safe to go back to the Chadian capital, N’Djamena, at this point. They are among tens of thousands who fled unrest in N’Djamena earlier this month,” he said.
Meanwhile, in southern Chad, UNHCR teams have registered 10,516 refugees from the northern part of neighboring Central African Republic at two border crossings –Maya and Bougounanga.
“Hundreds more are awaiting screening by our teams and new arrivals are crossing the border every day. The first refugees crossed into Chad last December in relatively small numbers. Major influxes took place in January and continue this month. Many refugees report attacks in their villages by bandits, ” said Redmond.
A four-member UNHCR emergency mission which went to the Maya border region yesterday (Thursday) reported that the refugees are exhausted by their long journey to reach safety in Chad.
Redmond said that the refugees are living out in the open with only makeshift shelters and trees for cover.
They are currently about 800 meters from the volatile border.
According to the refugee agency there are at least 50,000 refugees from northern CAR in three camps and along the border in southern Chad.