Darfur: UN mission dispatches team after clashes between displaced and militiamen

Peacekeepers serving with the joint United Nations-African Union mission in Darfur (UNAMID) are working to calm tensions in the south of the war-wracked region after violent clashes between Janjaweed militiamen and the residents of a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Two militiamen armed with one rifle quarrelled yesterday with IDPs living at the Hissa Hissa camp in South Darfur state, UNAMID reported today after it dispatched staff to verify reports of an incident.

One of the militiamen was severely beaten and later died as a result of the clash, an IDP suffered a minor injury and the other militiaman was arrested and taken into custody by Sudanese police.

UNAMID reported that at least 10 armed men started shooting at a water pump near Hissa Hissa today, and later set ablaze the pump and five generators supplying energy to the camp. One IDP received minor injuries in today’s clash.

The mission dispatched an armed team to Hissa Hissa to calm down the tensions between the camp residents and the militiamen, and the team is continuing to monitor the situation.

At least 300,000 people have been killed and 2.7 million others displaced from their homes because of fighting across Darfur over the past five years between rebels, Government forces and allied militiamen known as the Janjaweed, who are accused of widespread human rights abuses in their attacks against civilians.

The UN-AU hybrid mission has been in place since the start of this year to try to quell the violence and the humanitarian suffering.