Sudan admits increase in violence in Darfur this year

Sudan on Tuesday admitted increase of violence in Darfur this year, compared to the past two years, saying that around 1,200 people were killed so far in armed clashes in the region.

"Violence in Darfur increased this year compared to the previous two years", said Mutrif Siddiq, Sudanese state minister for humanitarian affairs, while addressing a consultative forum for the humanitarian organizations operating in Darfur.

"The increase in violence rates is attributed to two reasons. The first is infiltration of the Justice and Equality Movement ( JEM) into Darfur after the reconciliation between Sudan and Chad, and the second was the tribal clashes," he said.

Siddiq said that the official statistics indicated that around 1,200 people were killed in the region because of violence and armed clashes.

The Sudanese official reiterated Khartoum's commitment to improving the security situation in Darfur, saying that Khartoum has "a comprehensive plan to enhance the security in Darfur."

"We are aware that security falls under the responsibility of the government in the first place and it is part of its sovereignty," he said.

He further stressed the importance of disarmament in Darfur, particularly inside the camps of internally displaced persons ( IDPs), saying that "the humanitarian principles must be applied in the IDP camps which should not be turned into hotbeds for the rebel movements."

He affirmed that the Sudanese government would press ahead with its plan to take away arms from inside the IDP camps.

"Arms must be at the hands of the regular forces only," he said.

The Sudanese government embarked on a new strategy for dealing with Darfur issue, aiming to boost the presence of the government institutions in Darfur and improve relations with the neighboring countries to speed up realization of peace in the war-torn region.

Khartoum said its strategy based on five axis, including political settlement, security, development and services and resettlement of the displaced persons.

Last month, some IDP camps, particularly Kalma, witnessed bloody armed clashes between supporters of Sudan Liberation Army ( SLA)-Abdul-Wahid Nur's faction and supporters of the peace negotiations in Doha. The clashes resulted in the killing of eight IDPs.

The UN Security Council earlier warned against instigation of violence in the Kalma camp in Darfur and stressed the need for collecting arms from all IDP camps in the region.

Source:Xinhua