Darfur security 'unpredictable' says UN rights expert

The United Nations has disputed claims by the Sudanese government that conflict in the Dafur region has ended.

At a press conference in Sudan’s capital Khartoum, a senior UN rights official warned that the security situation in Dafur still remains fragile with underlying tensions among local tribes.

“In Darfur, the security situation remains fluid and unpredictable. This has had a direct impact on the human rights and humanitarian situation. I am concerned by the conflict in Jebel Marra which has resulted in new displacements especially in Sortoni, Tawilla and Kabkabiya,” said Aristide Nononsi, the UN independent expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan.

Since January, there has been intensified fighting that resulted in large-scale displacement in the Darfur region. The situation has been defined by fighting between Government forces and fighters of the Sudan Liberation Army.

A referendum held in the region as part of a peace process recently, maintained Dafur as a five state.

According to the electoral commission over 3 million people were eligible to take to the polls but the vote was boycotted by major rebel and opposition groups.

The referendum faced international criticism despite Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir stating that the polls would be free and fair.

Before 1994, Darfur was a single region until the government split it into three states. 18 years later, the government further split the region stating it will make governance more efficient.

In 2003, fighting broke out between government forces and armed rebel. The conflict claimed 300,000 lives and displaced over 2.5 million people.

AFP