Peacekeepers denied access as villages \'burned\' in Darfur

Sudanese workers from Darfur and Kordofan work in the Shambat area Sudanese authorities have denied international peacekeepers access to part of the troubled Darfur region where villages have been reported burned and civilians uprooted, the mission said Monday. The restriction is the latest of many cited by the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), despite an agreement with the government which says peacekeepers have freedom of movement.
UNAMID said in a statement that it is deeply concerned about a reported escalation of violence in South Darfur over the past few days.
"The violence has resulted in the reported burning of a number of villages and the displacement of a large number of civilians in the vicinity of Um Gunya," about 50 kilometres (30 miles) southeast of the state capital Nyala.
Looting and civilian casualties have also been reported, UNAMID added.
"Peacekeepers have attempted to access the affected areas on several occasions, but have been denied passage by the authorities," the mission said.
Christopher Cycmanick, UNAMID's head of media relations, told AFP that reports indicate the number of displaced could be in the thousands.
"However, without access to these areas from the authorities we will not be able to provide a specific number, nor will we be able to carry out our mandate in protecting these civilians," he said.
UNAMID is also tasked with ensuring safe and unhindered humanitarian access to the people of Darfur.
An 11-year-old rebellion by ethnic insurgents continues in Darfur but last year also saw a steep escalation of tribal conflicts and a rise in criminality, UNAMID has said.
Most of the "tribal" conflicts pitted well-armed Arab militias against each other.
Analysts say Sudan's cash-starved government can no longer control its former Arab tribal allies, whom it armed against the rebellion, and violent competition for resources has intensified.
Local sources in the area told AFP that "all indications" are that so-called Rapid Support Forces appear to be behind the violence in Um Gunya.
Those forces are a type of militia which the governor of North Kordofan state, Ahmed Haroun, ordered out of his territory last month.
The official SUNA news agency quoted Haroun as saying the Rapid Support Forces "did not undergo satisfactory training, came from pastoral communities, caused confrontations with citizens and instigated panic and anarchy" in his state.
Before reaching North Kordofan the militia had been on operations in South Kordofan state, where a separate rebellion has been underway for almost three years.
The latest displacement of civilians in Darfur follows the uprooting of 380,000 people because of violence in the western region last year.
That figure was more than in any year since 2004, at the height of the Darfur conflict, said Damian Rance, a public information officer with the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
In total, there are almost two million people displaced in Darfur, according to the UN.
Source: AFP