More than 41,000 displaced in Darfur this year

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said more than 41,000 people have been displaced by conflict in north and central Darfur since the beginning of this year, a UN spokesman told reporters here Thursday.

"OCHA also says that the number of people in need of assistance and protection may be significantly higher because humanitarian organizations have largely been denied access to parts of the Jebel Marra area where some of the heaviest fighting is reportedly taking place," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing.

The office continues to call on all parties to respect their obligations under International Humanitarian Law and to facilitate immediate access for humanitarian organizations to people in need, he said.

The World Food Program, the United Nations Children's Fund, the UN Refugee Agency and humanitarian partners are providing food, water, sanitation supplies and emergency household kits to displaced people in Um Baru and northern El Fasher, the spokesman said.

Since the Sudanese government and the Darfur Liberation and Justice Movement signed the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur in July 2011, the military confrontations in Sudan's Darfur region have relented, causing thousands of displaced people to voluntarily return to their home areas.

There are five camps for the internally displaced persons (IDP) in North Darfur State, including Abu Shouk, the biggest, where around 47,000 people live, along with Al-Salam camp with 45,000, Zamzam with 42,000, Kassab with 26,000 and Fata Barno with 24,000.

According to the United Nations, around 1.4 million people are living in IDP camps in Darfur and others abroad. The figure rises and falls based on the indicators of violence in the region which has been witnessing a civil war since 2003. Endite