Over 60 killed in Darfur as Sudan PM prepares to deploy troops to region

KHARTOUM, Sudan－More than 60 people have been killed and another 60 injured in violence in Sudan's West Darfur region, the United Nations has said, as the country's prime minister promised fresh troops for the conflict-stricken region.

About 500 militants attacked the village of Masteri in West Darfur on Saturday afternoon, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement on Sunday.

"This was one of the latest of a series of security incidents reported over the last week that left several villages and houses burned, markets and shops looted, and infrastructure damaged," it said.

The clashes between tribes in the region occurred earlier on Saturday and lasted until late Sunday, the state-run SUNA news agency reported, citing anonymous sources.

The agency's report did not provide an accurate death toll, but said dozens of people were killed or wounded, and more than 60 wounded were taken by helicopter to Genena for treatment.

An unconfirmed number of houses were looted and burned in the village, along with half the local market, the UN agency said. The village borders Chad.

Following Saturday's attack on Masteri, around 500 people staged a protest demanding more protection from the authorities.

'Protect citizens'

On Sunday, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said the government would send security forces to conflict-stricken Darfur to "protect citizens and the farming season".

The announcement came two days after gunmen killed at least 20 civilians, including children, as they returned to their fields for the first time in years, one in a string of violent incidents in the region.

The region has seen years of conflict since an ethnic minority uprising prompted the government to launch a scorched-earth campaign that left 300,000 people dead and displaced 2.5 million.

"A joint security force will be deployed in the five states of the Darfur region to protect citizens during the farming season," Hamdok's office said in a statement.

The force will include army and police forces, it said.

The escalation of violence in different parts of Darfur region is triggering increased displacement, compromising the agricultural season, causing the loss of lives and livelihoods, said the UN.

Darfur has been plagued by conflicts between government forces and the indigenous population since 2003.

Xinhua - Agencies