July 03, 2012
The current humanitarian crisis in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan has prompted UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos to issue an urgent statement (PDF; external link) highlighting growing concerns for the safety and wellbeing of citizens in the region. The area, which spans parts of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states, has seen intermittent violence between Sudanese government forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North, a rebel group comprised of soldiers who had previously fought against the Sudanese government in the North-South civil war.
Citizens are increasingly at risk, and many are fleeing, as a result of this violence and the growing food insecurity in the region. The UN is calling on the government of Sudan to allow humanitarian workers access to the area to help mitigate an increasingly critical situation.
Read the UN statement (PDF; external link).