Sudan bombs Darfur village

According to the UN, Sudan has carried out an air strike mission on a village in the western region of Darfur. A number of the group's officials are trying to make their way to the Sukamir area in north Darfur to gauge the situation.

The UN believes that pro-government Arab militias are trying to cleanse the region of non-Arab residence. It is estimated that as many as 300,000 people have been killed in the strike.

UN's deligation in Darfur, Unamid, released a statement on Wednesday 18th May, saying jet planes struck Sukamir, located near Kuma, on Tuesday. It also said a team had been sent to the area "to collect information on possible casualties and newly displaced persons". The statement confirmed that UN flights to the regions of Shangil Tobaya, Fanga Suk and others in north Darfur have been suspended.

Khartoum has denied knowledge of the strike, which was similar to the one on Sunday 15th May when the town of Labado and the village of Esheraya in southern Darfur came under bombardment.

Head of Unamid Ibrahim Gambari has voiced concern about the situation, saying: "I call upon all parties to exercise the utmost restraint in the use of lethal force."

Citing “security threats,” the Sudan's government restricted all movement of peacekeepers in South Darfur state beyond a 15 km radius from Nyala, the state capital.

Sources: BBC News, AFP, Bloomberg

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Three killed in an IDP camp in west Darfur

The UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon's office issued a statement saying that the Secretary General is “concerned about the situation in Kalma camp between internally displaced persons (IDPs) supporting the Darfur Peace Process,” and encouraged all concerned to “address their differences through political dialogue and to refrain from any action that could incite violence.” The statement was issued shortly after news that three people had been killed in an IDP camp in west Darfur during a conflict between several rebel groups.

A UN spokesperson, Martin Nesirky, said that the UN has received information from the African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) about the death of three individuals who were thought to be "close" to the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM).

LJM has recently signed an agreement with the Sudanese government in an attempt to quell the conflict that has been raging in Darfur since 2003. The three victims were gunned down during a confrontation, at the Hamadiya IDP camp, between supporters of LJM and supporters of the Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW), a rebel movement opposed to peace negotiations with the government.

The Sudanese police have arrested four suspects involved in the conflict. UNAMID is expected to assist the police with the official investigation and will be “closely monitoring the aftermath."

Source: Focus Infromation Agency

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