UN Says Darfur Remains Under Tension

The UN says clashes between government and rebel forces have fuelled sustained tension in Sudan's war-wracked western region of Darfur. UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet told reporters after a UN security council briefing on Darfur that both sides are spending more effort in conflict rather than dialogue, hence placing the civilian population under sustained threat of violence. The Darfur conflict has claimed at least 300,000 lives and displaced 2.7 million people since the Darfur rebels took up arms in 2003, claiming their region was marginalized by the Arab dominated government.[PE]