Over 40,000 displaced in Darfur in 2015

Over 40,000 people have been displaced by conflict in Sudan's north and central Darfur region since the beginning of 2015, a UN spokesman said.

"The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the number of people in need of assistance and protection may be significantly higher because humanitarian organisations have largely been denied access to parts of the Jebel Marra area where some of the heaviest fighting is reportedly taking place," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Thursday.

OCHA continues to call on all parties to respect their obligations under International Humanitarian Law and to facilitate immediate access for people in need, Xinhua quoted Dujarric as saying.

The World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and other humanitarian partners are providing food, water, sanitation supplies and emergency kits to displaced people in Um Baru and northern El Fasher, the spokesman said.

Since the Sudanese government and the Darfur Liberation and Justice Movement signed the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur in July 2011, the military confrontations in the region have relented, causing thousands of displaced people to voluntarily return to their home areas.

There are five camps for the internally displaced persons (IDP) in North Darfur State, including Abu Shouk, the biggest, where around 47,000 people live, along with Al-Salam camp with 45,000, Zamzam with 42,000, Kassab with 26,000 and Fata Barno with 24,000 people.

According to the UN, around 1.4 million people are living in IDP camps in Darfur and others abroad.

The figures are based on the indicators of violence in the region which has been witnessing a civil war since 2003.