United Nations: UN chief Ban Ki-moon expressed concern Tuesday about continued abductions and mistreatment of UN staff and aid workers in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region.
"The secretary-general remains concerned over a string of
recent incidents that have contributed to a general
deterioration of the situation in Darfur," a UN statement
said.
The UN boss added that continued attacks on UNAMID
(United Nations African Union mission) peacekeepers in Darfur
along with "abductions and mistreatment of UN staff and
humanitarian workers will only aggravate the situation."
Ban appealed to the Sudanese government "to apprehend and
bring to justice those who attack UN staff and humanitarian
workers and to take all possible measures to ensure that
humanitarian access to all Sudanese remains open and
humanitarian space protected."
Earlier today, authorities in West Darfur state expelled
five humanitarian workers employed in the region by the United
Nations and the Red Cross, aid officials said today.
The aid workers, among them the head of the UN Food and
Agriculture Organisation office in the state capital
El-Geneina, were told to pack up and leave the region for
Khartoum, the officials said.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, August 17, 2010, 13:32