Over 100 people killed, 70,000 displaced in Sudan's fresh tribal clashes: UNAMID

KHARTOUM, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Over 100 people were killed and about 70,000 others displaced in recent tribal clashes between the Arab Abballa and Beni Hussein tribes in Jabel Amir area of Sudan's North Darfur state, the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said in a statement on Thursday.

"According to Government figures, an estimated 70,000 people have been displaced and more than 100 killed since the clashes broke out," the statement said.

The mission reiterated commitment to work with all parties to tackle humanitarian needs, saying that "UNAMID is committed to engaging with all stakeholders to address the current humanitarian needs of thousands of civilians who were displaced in the North Darfur villages of Saraf Omra, Kabkabya and El Sereif."

UNAMID deployed a team, consisting of civilian, military and police personnel, to the three affected areas, the statement said, adding that "the team found evidence of mass displacement, including those displaced from their homes in villages around El Sereif, along with workers who said they had fled from the work sites at the Jabel Amir gold mines as a result of the fighting."

Meanwhile, UNAMID Acting Joint Special Representative and Joint Chief Mediator Aichatou Mindaoudou urged all concerned parties in the region to facilitate the work of the mission.

"I urge all parties to enable both UNAMID, UN agencies and their humanitarian partners to be given full access to all areas of Darfur, so affected populations can receive needed protection and assistance," Mindaoudou was quoted by the statement as saying.

She said that "the protection of Darfur's people is at the heart of UNAMID's mandate," noting that "it is why we are here and what we focus on each and every day, as we attempt to elevate the lives of Darfuris caught in the conflict across the region."

UNAMID has been directly engaged in addressing the recent uptick in tribal clashes and other forms of violence across Darfur, She said, adding that these efforts included extensive reconciliation and mediation activities, an increase in the number of daily security patrols to hotspot areas, and a broad spectrum of logistics support to the humanitarian community.

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