Wave of deadly clashes in Sudan's Darfur region

UN reports fresh wave of deadly clashes in Sudan's Darfur region

Dozens of people have been killed or injured during a series of attacks by rebels or armed tribesmen against villages in Sudan's war-scarred Darfur region, the United Nations Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS) reported today.

In the deadliest incident, between 24 and 36 people were reported killed, and 26 others injured, when a convoy of rebels attacked the village of Al-Mallam in South Darfur state last Friday.

On the same day at least 20 people were killed when a large group of armed tribesmen attacked the village of Seleia in West Darfur state, provoking a violent confrontation with locals. UNAMIS said the gunmen abducted two women and stole cattle.

Following a separate incident in West Darfur, local authorities are stepping up security measures after masked men attacked IDPs living at the Krindling 2 camp and stole some of their personal effects.

These attacks have occurred as Jan Pronk, the senior UN envoy for Sudan, arrives in Darfur for a routine two-day visit to meet local officials, humanitarian workers, African Union officials and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and at least 1.8 million others forced from their homes in Darfur since rebels took up arms against the Sudanese Government in early 2003, partly in protest at the distribution of economic resources.

Humanitarian agencies have told UNAMIS that new IDPs are still arriving in camps in South Darfur, particularly near Kalma, after a recent wave of fighting in the area.

The Mission added that a "considerable influx" of IDPs have moved into North Darfur state because of apparent fighting in the nearby eastern Jebel Marra region.

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