(AKI) - The top United Nations relief official has voiced deep concern about reports of fresh violence in the north of the war-torn Darfur region of western Sudan amid further attacks on aid workers by armed groups. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes called for all sides in the Darfur conflict, which has pitted rebels against government forces and allied Janjaweed militiamen since 2003, to cease hostilities immediately and engage in meaningful talks towards a lasting settlement. His comments follow reports from rebels and internally displaced persons that Sudanese government forces launched sustained aerial bomb attacks over the past week near the villages of Birmaza and Disa in North Darfur.
Sudanese military sources told the hybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping mission to Darfur that no offensive against rebel positions was taking place. But the mission has observed the movement of heavily armed men, vehicles and material, and an increase in aircraft traffic, particularly attack helicopters.
UNAMID -- which has not yet established a presence in the area because of security reasons -- said that while it could not confirm that fighting was occurring between the government and rebels, its observations indicated that intense military activity was taking place.
Holmes, who is also Emergency Relief Coordinator for the UN, reminded the parties to the conflict of their responsibilities under international humanitarian law to protect civilians, differentiate between civilian and military targets and ensure unimpeded access for aid workers.
Birmaza and Disa serve as important medical, water and commercial hubs for tens of thousands of people, and the reported military bombardments and the attacks on aid workers by armed groups have relief officials worried.
UN spokeswoman Michele Montas told reporters that cuts in aid were compromising the health and well-being of numerous towns and villages and affecting up to 450,000 people.
The UN estimates about 300,000 people are estimated to have been killed, either through direct combat or as a result of disease, malnutrition or reduced life expectancy, since the Darfur conflict began five years ago. More than 2.7 million others have been displaced from their homes.