UN HC Statement on the Security Situation in Darfur
KARTHOUM, Sudan, June 24, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The UN and humanitarian partners are very concerned at the increasingly insecure environment in Darfur in which the humanitarian community serves the people of Sudan. The steady deterioration of security conditions, particularly in the past two months, is not only affecting the population but directly targets the humanitarian community.
Repeated kidnappings of humanitarian staff and the killing of peacekeepers, as well as vehicle hijackings and banditry, seriously impede the overall humanitarian access. Security infractions against aid workers seriously put at risk the continued implementation of humanitarian work in the region at the expense of those who need it most. The reduction of access due to insecurity has already resulted in some cases of either a complete suspension or a serious reduction of activities and delivery of assistance by humanitarian agencies.
We strongly urge the Government of Sudan and other stakeholders to engage with the humanitarian community at the local and federal levels to rapidly improve the overall security situation throughout Darfur. The UN reiterates the call for a concerted effort to arrest and prosecute those who attack, steal from and abduct humanitarian workers. Firm action is required for humanitarian operations in Sudan to continue and to access vulnerable populations without fear for the safety and security of humanitarian colleagues.
SOURCE
UNITED NATIONS
