The UN on Monday said it was shocked by recent rebel attack on a central Sudan town which left an unspecified number of policemen and civilians dead and destroyed a number of public establishments, including electricity and communications facilities.
“The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Mr. Ali Al-Za’tari, is shocked by the recent attack on Um Rawabah and other areas in Northern Kordufan and the renewed shelling of Kadugli by anti-government forces,” the UN said in a press statement, obtained here by PANA.
It added that Mr. Al Za’atari was equally concerned that the cycle of violence between government forces and rebel groups is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Blue Nile and South Kordufan.
The statement quoted Mr. Al-Za’tari as saying that “violence can only impact negatively on efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan by peaceful means, including the direct talks between the Government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) that began in Addis Ababa last week”.
He said that the destruction of installations such as power stations and public facilities is not the way to approach peace, adding that after almost two years of fighting, all parties need to give the direct talks a chance to succeed.
Mr. Al-Za’tari said the UN is ready to deliver humanitarian aid, including the much needed vaccines for children, but it has to do so under a situation where the fighting will not endanger its humanitarian workers and partners.
On Saturday, a rebel group known as the Sudanese Revolutionary Front, attacked the town of Um Rawaba and a number of small areas in northern Sudan, leaving an unspecified number of people dead.
