Spotlight

Located in central Darfur, the mountainous region of Jebel Marra is well known for its vital importance and its subjection to conflict. Back in 2002, the region was attacked and seized by Sudanese forces and pro-government militias. In a vicious campaign against the region, civilians were targeted and local school, markets, and water supplies were decimated to little or no knowledge of the Western world. Today, the region is once again a stronghold of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and its chairman Abdul Wahid Mohammad al-Nur and is currently home to 200,000 to 300,000 civilians. 

Today we see violence once again wreaking havoc in the area. Reports are claiming that already several hundred are dead and many more displaced. Late last week, Darfur expert Julie Flint wrote that “Hundreds of civilians are feared killed in Jebel Marra [in North Darfur], and tens of thousands thought to be displaced without relief within the mountain.” Despite this, U.S. officials have been silent. It is vital that the State Department make plans to look into the conflict and report on it, as well as devise a plan to get humanitarian groups and aid into the region.

Read the full story from Julie Flint here.