23/3/2007
Camps in Darfur Nearing Maximum Capacity, UN Says

“We simply cannot absorb any more displaced.”
These were the concluding comments UNICEF country representative Ted Chaiban gave on his return from a visit to war-torn Darfur, where the camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) are almost at full capacity due to a continuing influx of people fleeing violence.

The most recent UN humanitarian update from Darfur noted the need to find a site for a new camp in the vicinity of El Fasher, capital of North Darfur province.

A new site has been identified near Zam Zam camp, which is nearing maximum capacity. Last week, UNICEF said that IDP camps were sheltering 50,000 to 100,000 people each with no less than 30,000 people displaced last month alone.
Since January 80,000 people have fled, on top of half a million others displaced in 2006.

Since the beginning of the conflict almost four years ago, more than 200,000 people have been killed and some 2.5 million more displaced, 230,000 of them seeking refuge in neighbouring Chad.