UNAMID Condemns Violence in North Darfur

Women sit near a vehicle of the special police forces after it arrived in Tabit village in North Darfur November 20, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
Women sit near a vehicle of the special police forces after it arrived in Tabit village in North Darfur November 20, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
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UNAMID Condemns Violence in North Darfur

Women sit near a vehicle of the special police forces after it arrived in Tabit village in North Darfur November 20, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
Women sit near a vehicle of the special police forces after it arrived in Tabit village in North Darfur November 20, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

The joint United Nations and African Union mission in Darfur (UNAMID) condemned Tuesday "violent incidents" in North Darfur state which left nine dead and 20 wounded.

"UNAMID is deeply concerned about the violent incidents that erupted in Kutum town on 12 July and the attack by unidentified armed men on the Fata Borno IDP (internally displaced people) camp on the morning of 13 July 2020 which left 9 IDPs dead and 20 injured," the peacekeeping mission said in a statement.

"It is regrettable that these incidents have taken place while the transitional government of Sudan and the armed movements are close to concluding negotiations expected to bring peace and stability... to the Darfur region and the whole of Sudan," it added.

Darfur has long been plagued by poor security and armed groups, AFP reported.

In 2003, a deadly ethnic conflict broke out in Darfur between African minority rebels and forces backed by the government of ex-president Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in April 2019, it said.

Bashir is wanted by The Hague-based International Criminal Court over charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

The United Nations says the conflict killed 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million.

Sudan's current transitional government, comprised of military and civilian figures led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok since last year, has engaged in talks with three key rebel groups to reach a peace deal to end the wars in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

A signing ceremony with various rebel factions slated for Tuesday was delayed once again.

In the wake of the recent unrest, North Darfur's governor announced a state of emergency on Monday.



Iraq's Population Reaches 45.4 Million in First Census in over 30 Years

Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
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Iraq's Population Reaches 45.4 Million in First Census in over 30 Years

Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)

Iraq's population has risen to 45.4 million, according to preliminary results from a national census, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Monday.
The census, conducted on Nov. 20, was Iraq's first nationwide survey in more than three decades, marking a crucial step for future planning and development.
Prior to the census, the planning ministry estimated the population at 43 million.
The last census, conducted in 1997, did not include the Iraqi Kurdistan region, which has been under Kurdish administration since the 1991 Gulf War.
It counted 19 million Iraqis and officials estimated there were another 3 million in the Kurdish north, according to official statistics.