Out of the 6 million IDPs in Sudan, who do not benefit of the refugee status, approximately 2 million currently reside in and around Khartoum as a result of over 20 years of fighting in the South and from the current Darfour conflict. The largest majority of the IDPs, even if most of them live in squatter areas, do not want to go back to where they once belonged, fearing to stay in a place where they lost all their properties.
The process of relocation of IDPs, which is justified by national authorities as a need for re-planning Khartoum’s area with the purpose of improving living conditions and as a necessity to return the lands to their real owners, has been undertaken by the government since 1989. The demolition of current locations of displacement has increased in frequency in the last few years, with at least 300.000 affected since 2004.
FIDH and SOAT do not oppose to the Government of Sudan’s intention to re-plan Khartoum and other areas, but firmly condemn the manner in which the process is currently carried out. It violates fundamental human rights including the right to housing, the right to an adequate standard of living and the prohibition on arbitrary interference in the home and family.
To shed light on these violations, in early January 2005, the government forcibly relocated most of the 12,000 residents of the Shikan squatter area after the sixth demolition of this place in December 2004. IDPs were relocated without prior notification to El Fateh 3, a remote desert zone where no life-sustaining services were in place (water sources, health care, food, education). No compensation was provided for damages to property and national authorities failed to ensure appropriate allocation of new plots.
Moreover, this situation has led to the rise of tension between IDPs and security forces. On May 18, 2005, fourteen police officials and up to six civilians (including two children) were killed as a result of a violent protest against the forced relocation of IDPs living in the Soba Aradi squatter areas, Khartoum.
FIDH and SOAT reassert their condemnation of the relocation process which increases IDP vulnerability and undermines the right to return voluntarily, in an informed, safe and dignified manner.
FIDH and SOAT recommend the government to:
– fully respect all international human rights conventions which bound Sudan, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
– fully respect the United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement
– halt all forced relocations and take all measures to minimize the adverse effects of displacement, including ensuring that basic services are in place prior to relocation