215,000 displaced in Sudan in 2014 -UN

The UN African Union Mission in Darfur, on Friday, said more than 215,000 people have been displaced due to the increasing violence in Sudan’s Darfur region since the beginning of 2014.

UNAMID Deputy Joint Special Representative, Ali Al-Za’ tari, and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Joseph Mutaboba, issued a joint statement in which they expressed deep concern over the increasing violence in Darfur.

The two officials said in the statement that “last month, a wave of violence in Darfur affected 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.

“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.”

The joint statement urged the Sudanese 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 had been witnessing civil war since 2003 under mounting violence due to armed clashes between the Sudanese army and rebel groups in addition to tribal violence.