Sudan: Country Report Country Report on Darfur
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Cov er ima ge - seve nMa ps7/ Shut terst ock. com Sudan: Country Report Country Report on Darfur January 2019 (COI between 1 September 2017 and 2 December 2018) Commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Division of International Protection. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the authors. © Asylum Research Centre, 2019 ARC publications are covered by the Creative Commons License allowing for limited use of ARC publications provided the work is properly credited to ARC, it is for non-commercial use and it is not used for derivative works. ARC does not hold the copyright to the content of third party material included in this report. Reproduction or any use of the images/maps/infographics included in this report is prohibited and permission must be sought directly from the copyright holder(s). Please direct any comments to [email protected] Cover photo: © sevenMaps7/shutterstock.com 2 Table of Contents Explanatory Note .................................................................................................................................... 6 Sources and databases consulted ........................................................................................................... 8 List of Acronyms .................................................................................................................................... 12 1. Security situation in Darfur since Sept 2017 ............................................................................... 13 1.1 Clashes between government forces and armed opposition movements ...................................... 20 1.2 Inter-communal and militia clashes ................................................................................................ 31 1.3 Safe/blocked routes ........................................................................................................................ 39 2. Ethnic and tribal groups and their connection with the government and allied militia ............... 39 2.1 Arab ethnic groups .......................................................................................................................... 39 2.1.1 Rizeigat ......................................................................................................................................... 39 2.1.2 Beni Hussayn ................................................................................................................................ 43 2.1.3 Ma’aliya ........................................................................................................................................ 44 2.1.4 Beni Halba .................................................................................................................................... 46 2.1.5 Misseriya ...................................................................................................................................... 48 2.1.6 Ta’aisha ........................................................................................................................................ 49 2.1.7 Salamat ........................................................................................................................................ 49 2.2 Non-Arab ethnic groups .................................................................................................................. 50 2.2.1 Berti .............................................................................................................................................. 50 2.2.2 Fur ................................................................................................................................................ 52 2.2.3 Masalit.......................................................................................................................................... 54 2.2.4 Zaghawa/Beri ............................................................................................................................... 55 2.3 Conflict between tribes since September 2017 ............................................................................... 58 2.3.1 North Darfur ................................................................................................................................. 59 2.3.2 East Darfur ................................................................................................................................... 64 2.3.3 South Darfur ................................................................................................................................. 65 2.3.4 Central Darfur .............................................................................................................................. 70 2.3.5 West Darfur .................................................................................................................................. 71 2.3.6 Village defence committees ......................................................................................................... 74 2.3.7 Blood feuds and state protection ................................................................................................ 74 2.3.8 Possibility for a Darfuri to move to another village/region and being identified/found by non- state actors from their previous place of residence ............................................................................. 75 2.4 Treatment of Arab ethnic groups .................................................................................................... 75 3 2.5 Treatment of non-Arab ethnic groups ............................................................................................ 76 2.5.1 Treatment by state actors ............................................................................................................ 76 2.5.2 Treatment by non-state actors .................................................................................................... 78 3. Civil and Political Rights ................................................................................................................... 79 3.1 Freedom of expression, association, and assembly ........................................................................ 80 3.1.1 Treatment of Darfuris who demonstrate or protest against the government ............................ 81 3.1.2 Treatment of critical journalists, citizen-journalists, bloggers, etc. ............................................. 83 3.2 Political opposition parties and activists ......................................................................................... 84 3.2.1 Treatment of members of political opposition parties, as well as (perceived) supporters of such parties, political activists, students, and lawyers who are perceived to oppose the government ...... 84 3.2.2 Treatment of family members of (perceived) political opponents ............................................. 87 3.2.3 Treatment of individuals (perceived to be) associated with or supportive of armed opposition groups ................................................................................................................................................... 87 3.2.4 Information about other (profiles of) individuals who are perceived to be opposed to the government ........................................................................................................................................... 89 3.2.5 Treatment of civil society organisations and civil society activists, including women’s rights activists, humanitarian workers as well as peacekeepers .................................................................... 90 3.2.6 Attacks on schools and teachers .................................................................................................. 93 3.3 Freedom of movement .................................................................................................................... 95 3.3.1 Freedom of movement in Darfur ................................................................................................. 95 3.3.2 Humanitarian access in Darfur ..................................................................................................... 96 3.3.3 Ability for Darfuris to relocate and integrate into areas outside Darfur ................................... 101 4. Forced recruitment and conscription ............................................................................................ 102 4.1 Incidents of forced recruitment by state and non-state actors..................................................... 102 4.2 Recruitment and use of children by government forces and armed groups ................................. 103 5. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) ............................................................................................... 108 5.1 Security .......................................................................................................................................... 111 5.2 Access to basic services ................................................................................................................. 124 6. Returnees........................................................................................................................................ 133 6.1 Security .......................................................................................................................................... 136 6.1.1 Treatment