At Least 9 People Killed, 18 Others Injured In Military Attack In Western Sudan - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th July, 2020) At least nine people were killed, and 18 others were injured in an armed group attack in the province of North Darfur in western Sudan, local media reported on Tuesday.

According to the province's residents, armed units have attacked a camp for internally displaced people located 16 kilometers (9.94 miles) west of the town of Kutum, the Al-Sudani newspaper reported.

The perpetrators started the fire and stole transportation means, the news outlet said.

Staff members of the United Nations - African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) have arrived at the scene, according to the newspaper.

Darfur has been facing a conflict between different communities since the 1980s, which significantly escalated in 2003 when rebel groups launched a campaign to topple the government of then-President Omar Bashir. In 2007, the UN Security Council and the African Union sent a joint peacekeeping mission to the region.

The conflict has resulted in around 300,000 casualties and the displacement of up to 3 million people by United Nations estimates.