Security situation relatively calm in Darfur after recent attacks - UN mission

21 July 2008 – The security situation in Darfur was relatively calm again over the weekend, the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) to the strife-torn Sudanese region – where eight blue helmets have been killed this month – reported today. UNAMID said about 2,000 people, mostly students, took part in a peaceful demonstration in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, yesterday. The mission has conducted 19 security and confidence-building patrols across the region over the past 24 hours, and UN agencies have also continued to carry out their humanitarian operations. Ameerah Haq, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, said that essential life-saving services will continue to be provided to Darfur’s most vulnerable citizens despite the ongoing insecurity, which has limited aid access to... [read full story]