Khartoum, March 28 (IANS) More than 215,000 people have been displaced due to violence in Sudan’s Darfur region since the beginning of 2014, the UN African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and the Office of the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan said Thursday.
UNAMID Deputy Joint Special Representative Joseph Mutaboba and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan Ali Al-Za’ tari Thursday issued a joint statement in which they expressed deep concern over the increasing violence in Darfur, Xinhua reported.
“Last month, a wave of violence has been underway in Darfur, affecting tens of thousands of people. Since the beginning of 2014, more than 215,000 people in Darfur have been displaced from their homes. Many people in Darfur have no choice but to flee their homes in fear,” the statement said.
“It is particularly troubling that, in the face of this violence, the UN and the humanitarian community at large are being increasingly constrained from helping the majority of those affected.
“Due to the access restrictions and security constraints placed upon humanitarian agencies, even monitoring the numbers of people who have been displaced from their homes is increasingly challenging,” it added.
The statement urged the Sudan government and all actors and parties involved in the conflict and the international community to take robust measures to ensure the protection of civilians and unimpeded access of aid workers in Darfur.
Sudan’s Darfur region has been witnessing a civil war since 2003 under mounting violence due to armed clashes between the Sudanese army and rebel groups in addition to tribal violence.