20101210
UN News

An attack by the Sudanese armed forces against rebels in Darfur, the second such incident in the past 24 hours, has prompted the joint United Nations-African Union representative in the volatile region to démarche the Government.

The ground attack occurred this morning in Khor Abeche, a village located 80 kilometres north-east of the South Darfur capital of Nyala, the joint UN-AU mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said in a news release.

It is the second incident of its kind in the area, known to have supporters of the armed movement, Sudan Liberation Army/Minni Minawi, in the past 24 hours. Five civilians were injured as a result of the attack in which several houses were also burned.

"Joint Special Representative Ibrahim Gambari démarched the Government at the highest level for the attacks on the village to cease," the mission stated.

The UNAMID team site in the area dispatched fire trucks to put out the fires, provided medical care to the casualties, and is patrolling the village. A similar attack on Friday sent between 200 and 250 people fleeing to the UNAMID camp for protection.

Mr. Gambari has repeatedly called on all parties to refrain from hostilities and respect their obligations under international humanitarian law to safeguard innocent civilians. At least 300,000 people have been killed and 2.7 million driven from their