Unrest still wracks parts of Darfur: UN

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 9 (AFP) — Armed militia, sometimes aided by uniformed men, continue to stage attacks in parts of Sudan’s western Darfur region, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s spokesman said Monday.

“The security situation in Darfur remains tenuous, with more violence directed at and displacing civilians in North and South Darfur,” spokesman Fred Eckhard told reporters, citing reports from the UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

“Militiamen suspected to be Janjaweeds attacked some 35 families in Tawila in North Darfur on Saturday. Meanwhile reports continue of attacks by armed men on horses or camels supported by uniformed men and military vehicles in South Darfur,” Eckhard said.

“In North Darfur, there are reports of the Sudanese authorities offering up to 100,000 Sudanese dinars, or almost 400 dollars, to leaders of groups of internally displaced people to get them to persuade the displaced persons to return to their region of origin,” he said.

“Despite pressure, the internally displaced persons are choosing to stay put because of security concerns,” he added.

“Humanitarian agencies, meanwhile, have been traveling to rebel-held areas that used to be off limits in the North to assess the needs of the population there. The latest assessment team completed its mission to three sites last Friday and said that humanitarian assistance was urgently needed for some 50,000 displaced persons there.”

The United Nations estimates that up to 50,000 people have been killed since Sudan’s army forces and the Janjaweed cracked down on a rebellion by minority tribes which erupted in Darfur in February 2003, but the government vehemently disputes that figure.

Another 1.2 million people have fled their homes in Sudan and up to 200,000 more have been settled in makeshift camps in neighboring Chad, the United Nations says.