29 feared dead in Darfur slaughter

THE UN High Commissioner for Refugees said an unprecedented attack on a displaced persons’ camp in Sudan’s embattled Darfur region has reportedly killed 29 people.

Antonio Guterres, chief of the UN agency, cited aid workers’ reports of the attack on Wednesday at Aro Sharow camp, which also left 10 seriously injured.

The reports said 300 mounted armed Arab men attacked the camp in northwest Darfur.

Most of the 4,000-5,000 Sudanese living in the camp fled, UNHCR said.

UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland warned escalating Darfur violence is threatening relief efforts as staff are attacked. “It could all end tomorrow,” he said.

UNHCR is also concerned the deterioration in security could prompt Darfur’s displaced to flee again, possibly to Chad, which already has 200,000 refugees.

The Darfur crisis began when rebels rose up against perceived state discrimination against Sudanese of African origin. The government is accused of responding with a counterinsurgency in which ethnic Arab militia, Janjaweed, committed widespread abuses against ethnic Africans.

At least 180,000 people have died in the conflict.