Political progress to end Darfur conflict through dialogue 'remains elusive' - UN peacekeeping chief.

• Date: 06 April 2016

Intensified fighting since January has resulted in a rapidly worsening security situation and large-scale displacement in Sudan's Darfur region, the top United Nations peacekeeping official warned today, stressing that it is important that Security Council impress on all parties to the conflict [] that a political solution remains the only viable option.

UN Under-Secretary-General Herve Ladsous said that since his last briefing to the Council on 25 January, the security situation in Darfur has been characterized by fighting between Government forces and fighters of the Sudan Liberation Army/Abdel Wahid (SLA/AW) in the Jebel Marra region, which straddles three Darfur states, namely North Darfur, Darfur Central and South Darfur.

Current situation on the ground

According to the Sudanese Government, it has taken control of the entire Jebel Marra region with the exception of a few pockets of resistance. The SLA/AW has denied those claims, maintaining...