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Sudan

Sudan: Aid worker killed after abduction in Darfur

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
NAIROBI, 31 August (IRIN) - A staff member of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been killed after being abducted east of the Jebel Marra mountains in North Darfur, the ICRC said.
The 31-year-old Sudanese national was part of an ICRC team stopped by an unidentified group of armed men on 16 August after distributing food in the area. He was forced to drive one of two vehicles stolen in the incident.

The killing comes amid a significant deterioration in security conditions in Darfur that has claimed the lives of several humanitarian workers in recent weeks. The deterioration follows the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement on 5 May.

Since the signing, violence has been widespread across Darfur due to the fragmentation of various rebel groups and escalating fighting between the signatories and the non-signatories of the DPA.

Banditry and general lawlessness are rife and militias, rebel groups and government forces have clashed regularly.

The three-year Darfur conflict began when rebels rose up against the central government, complaining that the vast region remained underdeveloped due to neglect. The government is charged with arming local Arab militias called the Janjawid to embark on a campaign of rape, looting and murder, aimed at crushing the rebellion.

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