“We have witnessed deterioration in the security situation. More people have been displaced—over 300,000 since the beginning of this year—due mostly to tribal clashes,” Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous told journalist in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on 4 July.

Earlier, he had met with President Omar Al-Bashir and other senior officials to discuss the ongoing peace efforts.

Ladsous reiterated the UN’s support for the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur and urged the Government and the non-signatory movements to cease hostilities and “enter into negotiation immediately.”

The Doha accord, or DDPD, negotiated with the support of the Government of Qatar, forms the basis for a permanent ceasefire and comprehensive peace agreement to end the fighting that began in Darfur 10 years ago, pitting Government forces and allied militia against rebel groups.

The Sudanese Government and two major rebel groups have committed to the DDPD. The Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) signed on last year; the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) signed a framework agreement in January 2013.

During a media conference, Ladsous also condemned an attack on the UN near Labado, East Darfur. Three “blue helmets” were injured on 3 July when an unidentified armed group ambushed a joint African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) convoy.

“Attacks on peacekeepers are a crime,” he stressed, noting the peacekeeper’s robust response to the attack and calling for those responsible to be apprehended and prosecuted.

In violation of international humanitarian law, a UNAMID ambulance was also fired upon during the attack.

Ladsous visited the injured peacekeepers this morning at a Mission hospital in Nyala, southern Darfur.

During his three-day visit, Ladsous met with the Governor and other members of local government in El Daein, East Darfur state, as well as leaders of the Native Administration and civil society, and internally displaced people at the Neem camp.

Regarding relations between Sudan and South Sudan, Ladsous called on the Governments of both countries to fully implement the 27 September 2012 Agreements and resolve all disputes through the bilateral mechanisms provided for in these accords.

The agreements – signed in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, under the auspices of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel – includes provisions on security, the common border and economic relations aimed at enabling the two nations to fulfil their obligations under a so-called roadmap for easing tensions, facilitating the resumption of negotiations on post-secession relations and normalizing the relations between the two countries.

In meetings, Ladsous also expressed concern over the security and humanitarian situation in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

The visit to Sudan is part of Ladsous’ wider tour in Africa which included stops in Mali where UN peacekeeping troops known as the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) have taken over security duties. Ladsous heads next to South Sudan.

“In the early morning hours of 19 April, one peacekeeper of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was shot dead and two others injured in an attack by unidentified assailants on the mission’s team site near Muhajeria,” according to a statement from UNAMID.

An estimated 18,000 displaced persons remain concentrated around the Mission’s team sites near the Muhajeria and Labado villages since 6 April, when fighting broke out between the Government forces and the Sudan Liberation Movemenet/Minni Minawi.

The UN has been calling for humanitarian access to assist the groups, who are mostly women and children.

In today’s statement, UNAMID said it was investigating the events surrounding the incident and working in coordination with Government of Sudan to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

The Mission reiterated that “any attack on international peacekeepers is a crime under international law.”

Earlier in the week, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke about unrelated attacks on peacekeepers in South Sudan where he recalled “that the killing of peacekeepers is a war crime that falls under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court,” his spokesperson said.

During his meeting with the Minister of the Interior on Wednesday in Khartoum, the Joint Special Representative of UNAMID, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, also called on the Government to prevent civilian loss of life and property as it reestablishes its control over these areas.

According to UNAMID, an estimated 18,000 displaced persons remain concentrated around the Mission’s team sites near the Muhajeria and Labado villages since 6 April, when fighting broke out between the Government forces and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Minni Minawi.

The fighting has killed at least four civilians and wounded six others. The displaced populations are still waiting for much-needed humanitarian aid, UNAMID said in a statement.

Chambas also thanked the Ministry of the Interior for the good working relationship that exists between his department and UNAMID. In particular, he noted the fruitful cooperation between the UNAMID Police component and the Darfurian police.

On Monday, Chambas as well as the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Sudan, Ali Al-Za’tari had expressed “serious concern” about the safety and well-being of civilians caught up in fighting, and had called for immediate access to allow humanitarian teams to assess the condition of all affected civilians and in particular women, children and elderly people.

The UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said fighting resumed last week between the Abbala and Beni Hussein tribes in the Aji Heir area – approximately 10 kilometres west of El Sireaf, where the internally displaced persons gathered.

“Our joint priority with the Government, UNAMID and all partners in the region is to ensure the safety and security of all civilians in the area and to provide much needed humanitarian assistance,” the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Ali Al-Za’tari, said in a statement issued today.

The current humanitarian situation in the El Sireaf locality and in North Darfur follows an outbreak of violence on 5 January between the Abbala and Beni Hussein tribes in the Jebel Amir area of North Darfur, resulting in a mass displacement of more than 100,000 people.

UN and partnering aid organizations delivered over 700 metric tones of food and other relief supplies to the area in the last month, according to the statement.

Mr. Al-Za’tari said the deadly tensions highlight “once again” the vulnerability of civilians in the area and cautioned that more civilians will flee the area unless a lasting solution to the conflict is found.

The latest fighting has reportedly killed more than 50 people and wounded dozens more.

UNAMID said it airlifted 37 wounded people, including a woman and two children, to El Fasher for medical treatment on 24 February, and carried 2,700 kilograms of medical and other supplies.

“I call for the immediate end to the tribal clashes in North Darfur,” UNAMID’s Officer-in-Charge, Mohamed Yonis, said in a press release.

“There is no solution to this conflict other than one that is driven by good-faith efforts toward reconciliation.”

The Mission has been supporting reconciliation initiatives between the two sides and conducting security escorts to facilitate humanitarian access, and has significantly increased the number of daily patrols in North Darfur areas most affected by the violence.

“My hope is that, in the upcoming weeks, the tensions in the area will ease and the reconciliation process will resume,” said Mr. Yonis.

“The clashes have resulted in the alleged displacement of 60,000 persons and have reportedly claimed the lives of at least 100 persons,” the hybrid mission – known by the acronym UNAMID – said in an update.

The fighting erupted on 5 January in the Jebel Amer area near Kabkabiya, in North Darfur state, and resulted in a number of casualties, looting, the burning of nearby villages, and the displacement of thousands of civilians forced to flee towards towns of Kabkabiya, Saraf Omra and Al Sereif.

Following initial reports of the fighting, UNAMID dispatched a verification team to Jebel Amer. The team was informed that most of the displaced persons are currently living in schools, local council buildings and government buildings.

As part of its efforts to facilitate humanitarian assistance, UNAMID is today transporting by road 75 tons of relief items – including plastic sheets, blankets, jerry cans, mattresses and mosquito nets – to El Sereif and Garrah Azawia.

The peacekeeping operation has also provided escorts to UN World Food Programme (WFP) trucks carrying supplies, which have reached the town of Kutum and are expected to reach the district of Kabkabiya within a few days. In addition, it is actively supporting ongoing mediation and reconciliation efforts.

Established in July 2007, UNAMID has the protection of civilians as its core mandate. In addition, the peacekeeping operation is tasked with facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid and assisting with an inclusive peace process in Darfur, where fighting broke out nine years ago, pitting Government forces and allied militiamen against rebel groups.

Serving with the UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, known by the acronym UNAMID, the two police personnel – Hasan Al-Mazawdeh and Qasim Al-Sarhan, both Jordanian nationals – had been abducted by unidentified assailants on 20 August last year while on patrol in the town of Kabkabiya, located approximately 140 kilometres west of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.

“Both Mr. Al-Mazawdeh and Mr. Al-Sarhan appear to be unharmed and in good health. They will be flown to Khartoum and back to their home country as soon as possible,” UNAMID said in a news release.

According to the release, the peacekeeping mission’s head, the Secretary-General’s Acting Joint Special Representative, Aichatou Mindaoudou, expressed UNAMID’s thanks to the Government of Sudan, the governor of North Darfur and the Government of Jordan for their “valuable” assistance in obtaining the safe release of the peacekeepers.

In addition, UNAMID is calling on the Government of Sudan to investigate the kidnapping and find those responsible.

In a statement, the spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the UN chief is “deeply gratified” over the release of the two UN staff members, and commends the efforts of UNAMID and the Governments of Sudan and Jordan in securing their release.

“He underscores the importance of the peacekeeping and humanitarian work in Darfur and calls on the Government to fully investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said.

He added that Secretary-General Ban also reiterates that the “primary responsibility” for the safety and security of all of UNAMID’s peacekeeping personnel and the humanitarian community in Darfur lies with the Sudanese Government.

Established in July 2007, UNAMID has the protection of civilians as its core mandate. In addition, the peacekeeping operation is tasked with other responsibilities, such as facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid and assisting with an inclusive peace process in Darfur, where fighting broke out nine years ago, pitting Government forces and allied militiamen against rebel groups.

“I am saddened that the people of Kutum have again had to endure pain and suffering,” UNAMID’s Acting Joint Special Representative, Aichatou Mindaoudou, said in a news release. “UNAMID calls for a cessation in hostilities and for all parties to engage in peaceful dialogue.”

According to the news release, UNAMID peacekeepers at a team site near the town of Kutum, located some 100 kilometres northwest of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, reported that the security situation began deteriorating on Tuesday, 4 September, with a rash of shootings, including an assassination attempt on a local official.

The incidents reportedly resulted in several dead and wounded, and UNAMID evacuated wounded civilians to El-Fasher by helicopter for emergency medical treatment. On 5 September, armed men allegedly fired at local civilians, resulting in additional casualties.

The latest violence comes as the locality recovers from a series of attacks, and subsequent destruction and looting, which took place last month.

That violence began on August 1, with the shooting of a district commissioner and his driver during a car-jacking by three unidentified armed men. The vehicle was recovered later that same day, in the vicinity of the Kassab camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), located near Kutum.

Later that day, armed men surrounded Kassab, looted its market and burnt down the police post located within. Three civilians and one police officer were reported killed, in addition to six people injured.

In the following days, similar events took place – such as fighting between armed elements and Government forces, looting and the displacement of civilians – leading to a deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation at the Kassab and Fataborno IDP camps, as well as around Kutum. The incidents forced more than 25,000 IDPs from Kassab camp to flee and seek refuge in Kutum.

In response, UNAMID began providing a round-the-clock presence with continuous patrols, monitoring movements in and around the camp and facilitating humanitarian assistance.

At the end of August, UN humanitarian agencies and non-governmental partner organizations reported that they were able to resume their activities at Kassab IDP camp, with about 80 percent of its residents having returned following the violence in August.

“Mellit is known for the peaceful coexistence between all tribes. I hope that this reputation will continue well into the future,” said UNAMID’s Head of Office for North Darfur, Hassan Gibril, who led the Mission’s delegation in the talks with community leaders earlier this week.

Disagreements between members of the Ziyadiah and Berti tribes emerged on 15 August, and resulted in violent clashes in which shops were looted and destroyed in Mellit’s main market area. The violence resulted in the deaths of six people and injuries to 12 others.

According to an UNAMID news release, Mr. Gibril said he was deeply concerned by the tragic events and offered the Mission’s assistance in mediation and inter-tribal reconciliation activities. “We want to learn from what happened to prevent such incidents in the future,” he said.

During the meeting with the UNAMID delegation, the local chief of the Abassi camp for internally displaced persons, Adam Abdurahim Kharif, said that residents fear attacks similar to the one that happened in the Kassab camp, which earlier this month was surrounded by armed men who looted its market and burnt down the police post located within, killing four people. The security and humanitarian situations in the camp have deteriorated since then, according to the Mission.

Kharuf also asked for more protection from UNAMID to prevent similar events from occurring in Mellit.

The Mission noted that Mellit’s local commissioner said that the events last week were a series of isolated incidents that have been resolved through goodwill, while the deputy leader of the Ziyadiah tribe said that members of the community moved quickly to contain the situation and now are working together to find a peaceful remedy. The leader of the Berti tribe said that, in general, the culture of the area values peace and the people are not troublemakers.

Deployed at the beginning of 2008, UNAMID is tasked with protecting civilians, promoting an inclusive peace process and helping ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance across Darfur, an arid region on Sudan’s western flank.