UN concerned over reports of mass displacement in Sudan

The UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, Geert Cappelaere, has expressed concern over reports of large-scale displacement, including possible forced relocations in the country.

Cappelaere on Wednesday said that as conflict has increased in Blue Nile State, civilians continue to bear the brunt of fighting, while aid agencies are often not permitted to independently assess humanitarian needs and respond accordingly, Stephane Dujarric, the UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here, Xinhua reported.

Recent fighting in parts of Sudan's South Kordofan and Blue Nile states has displaced or affected an estimated 16,500 people, deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in early May.

The figure, released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), came from the Sudanese government and is based on statistics gathered over the past two weeks, Haq told reporters here at a daily news briefing.

According to the UN, at least 3,000 people have arrived in Abyei, fleeing violence in South Sudan's Unity State in late April, bringing the total number of South Sudanese in the area to 6,000. The influx was stretching the existing resources to people in need.