UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says he is deeply concerned about the escalating violence in Sudan’s Darfur region.

The remarks were made in a statement issued by his spokesman on Monday.

Darfur has experienced a rise in violence in recent days.

The UN secretary general also stated that he “is deeply concerned about the escalation of violence and its effect on civilians in Darfur.”

Ban also urged “all parties to immediately cease hostilities and negotiate a peaceful settlement to these conflicts.”

“Since late February, fighting between rebel groups and local militia in South Darfur has left thousands of people homeless, with reports of looting and villages burnt,” the UN statement added.

It also touched upon the situation in North Darfur, where thousands of people have sought protection at Saraf Umra camp over the past few days, following inter-communal fighting.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), some 45,000 people have fled their homes in the Um Gunya area of South Darfur over the past two weeks due to intensive fighting in the area.

Darfur has been the scene of violence since 2003, when rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum. There has also been tribal fighting in the region.

The United Nations estimates that more than 300,000 people have died in Darfur since the violence began.

Sudan accuses South Sudan, which seceded from the Republic of Sudan in July 2011, of supporting anti-government rebels operating in the Darfur region and the states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

Sudan lost billions of dollars in oil revenues after South Sudan gained independence, taking with it some 75 percent of crude production of the formerly united country.