Fear of more Darfur clashes causing displaced people to flee, says UN-AU mission

Fears of a possible military battle in North Darfur are causing people already staying in camps for the internally displaced to flee again, the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) reported today, adding that it is monitoring the situation.

“The security situation in North Darfur remains tense,” the Mission stated in information provided to the media.

The assessment follows reports of an expanding presence of both Sudanese Government troops and forces from one of the leading insurgent groups in Darfur, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

The build-up is reportedly underway in the Shangil Tobaya region where a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), run by the UN, is located.

According to a UNAMID patrol team, some 70 per cent of IDPs there have left the camp.

In February, the Government and JEM signed a Framework Agreement in Doha, Qatar, paving the way for a final resolution of the conflict in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people have been killed and another 2.7 million forced from their homes since violence erupted in 2003.