UN chief 'concerned' about Darfur violence

By Mustafa Caglayan

NEW YORK

 UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday said he is "deeply concerned" about the latest escalation of tensions in the Darfur conflict.

"He condemns the reported aerial bombardment and destruction of villages in the Golo locality of central Darfur state on Jan. 27," according to a statement issued by UN spokesperson's office.

Media reports said a number of villages in the area west of Marrah Mountains in the center of Darfur region were reportedly destroyed by aerial bombardment in the last three days, displacing hundreds of families.

"The Secretary-General urges the government and the armed movements to exercise maximum restraint, without delay, and fully assume their responsibility to prevent further displacements and suffering of civilian populations and resume dialogue to reach a political settlement to the Darfur conflict," the UN statement said.

The UN says that as many as 300,000 may have died in Darfur since 2003 when a long simmering ethnic conflict turned into a bloody civil war between rebel groups and Sudanese government forces.

Two million people have been forced to flee their homes with hundreds of thousands going westward to refugee camps in neighboring Chad.