480,000 newly displaced in Darfur: UNSC report

The UN Security Council quarterly report on Darfur for October to December 2013 states that the number of newly displaced in Darfur amounted to 480,000 over the period. Inter-tribal fighting over resources has been a major source of insecurity and displacement of the civilian population, particularly in the states of Central and South Darfur. The authorities’ suspension of salary payments of paramilitary troops, impunity, and a weak rule of law has contributed to the abuses. The number of victims of human rights abuses amounted to 314 people, including 164 abuses of the right to physical integrity, 77 of the right life, 63 victims of sexual violence, ten cases of arbitrary detention, and 113 abductees. The report further noted that the Sudanese authorities have hindered the movement of Unamid, and restricted access to the rural areas, in particular the areas of Khor Abeche, and Sheiria in South Darfur. It emphasised that the insecurity and attacks on aid workers constitute an obstacle to further humanitarian aid to the affected in Darfur. File photo