UN chief, head of African Union concerned over upsurge of violence in Darfur

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on Thursday expressed deep concern about the upsurge of violence in Darfur, and its effect on civilians, said a UN spokesman at a daily news briefing.

Ban and the chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma issued a press statement Thursday on the fighting between the Government of Sudan forces and the Sudan Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid, in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the secretary-general.

Since the outbreak of violence six weeks ago, over 90,000 civilians have been displaced in North Darfur, in addition to 2.6 million already displaced by the conflict, said Haq.

There are also unconfirmed reports of significant numbers of displaced people in Central Darfur which humanitarian organisations have been unable to verify due to access restrictions, he added.

Therefore, the chairperson and the Secretary-General called on the Sudanese government to fully cooperate with the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to facilitate its freedom of movement, as well as that of the humanitarian actors, said Haq.

Stressing that there is no military solution to the conflict in Darfur, they called on all parties to engage in earnest in negotiations for a cessation of hostilities leading to a peaceful settlement of the conflict, Haq said.

They reiterated their support to the African Union High Level Implementation Panel for Sudan and South Sudan, as well as to UNAMID, in their relentless efforts to facilitate the peace process, Haq said. Enditem