Khartoum – The UN on Tuesday said in a statement that six displaced civilians, including two children, had been shot dead by armed local tribesmen in North Darfur.
According to the statement, the gunmen started shooting sporadically at North Darfur, close to a site for the displaced persons from the mountainous Jebel Marra area of Darfur.
The Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Ms Marta Ruedas, condemned the reported shooting and killing of the displaced persons.
It pointed out that increased hostilities between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Abdul Wahid faction of the Sudan Liberation Army that started in early 2016 had forced thousands of people to flee their homes to other areas in the Darfur region.
It added that the killing included that of a peacekeeper from the African Union, UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).
“It occurred after a reported rise in tensions between displaced people and armed tribesmen over cattle raiding,’’ the statement said.
The injured are being treated at a medical clinic in Sortony.
Emergency relief to tens of thousands of displaced civilians from the Jebel Marra, an area that straddles three Darfur states, has been ongoing since February.
It said that 33 Sudanese aid workers from five national and international organisations, including the government’s Water and Environmental Sanitation Department and Anhar Peace for Development Organisation, were providing emergency relief.
It said that food, water and sanitation, emergency shelter and household supplies and nutritional supplements had been supplied to treat those suffering from malnutrition, including children.
The statement said that the Sortony IDP site was adjacent to the UNAMID team site in the area.
It is to be noted that UNAMID has been working in Darfur since 2007.
It is mandated to protect civilians, and to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance by UN agencies and other aid organisations and the safety and security of humanitarian personnel.
The humanitarian community depends on UNAMID to provide convoy escorts for the provision of timely emergency relief to people in need and to protect civilians affected by conflict. (PANA/NAN)