AU, UN heads express concern about violence in Darfur’s Jebel Marra

In a joint statement today, the AU Commission chairwoman, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, express deep concern about the upsurge of violence in Jebel Marra, and its effect on civilians.

Since fighting broke out between government forces and the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdelwahid El Nur in Jebel Marra six weeks ago, more than 90,000 civilians have been displaced, in addition to 2.6 million already displaced by the conflict in Darfur, the AU and UN say.

“There are also unconfirmed reports of significant numbers of displaced people in Central Darfur which humanitarian organisations have been unable to verify due to access restrictions,” the statement reads.

The chairwoman and the secretary-general call on the Sudanese government to fully cooperate with Unamid to facilitate its freedom of movement, as well as that of the humanitarian actors, in their continued efforts to protect and provide assistance to the civilian population affected by the fighting.

There is no military solution to the conflict in Darfur, they say, and call on all parties to engage in earnest in negotiations for a cessation of hostilities leading to a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

They reiterate their support to the AU High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) for Sudan and South Sudan, as well as to Unamid, in their relentless efforts to facilitate the peace process.