Fighting drives out 45 families from village in Khor Abeche, Darfur

Forty-five (45) families from the area of Khor Abeche to Menawashi, north of Nyala, following an attack by the government on 10 and 11 December. The UN-African Union Peacekeeping Mission, in a briefing on the security situation in the area, reported Tuesday that it was tense despite some improvement in the whole region.After fighting broke out between the government and its peace partner the Sudan Liberation Army of Minni Minawi, people fled the village. They went on on foot to the village of Menawashi, which is 25km west from Khor Abeche. According to UNAMID, villagers in Shangil Tobaya village, where there was also fighting, fled to Nifasha and Shaddad internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, while others took refuge around the UNAMID site in the village. 

According to UNAMID, the incident began when a convoy of Sudanese Government officials, escorted by military forces, approached the locality, coming from Nyala, South Darfur. “SLA/MM in the area mistook the advance party of the convoy escort as an attack and opened fire. The convoy responded in kind resulting in a 30-minute firefight. SLA/MM withdrew and the convoy proceeded to El Fasher,” stated the UNAMID Public Affairs office.