Secretary-General Regrets Loss of Life in Clash at West Darfur Protest

 

The following statement was issued on 1 December by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

On 1 December, during a visit to Zalingei, West Darfur, by the Joint Chief Mediator, Djibril Bassolé, and Qatar’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Mahmoud, protestors clashed with Government security forces at the University of Zalingei, resulting in at least one death and several wounded.

The Secretary-General deeply regrets the loss of life and calls for a full investigation to ascertain the facts pertaining to the incident.

The Secretary-General would like to emphasize that the parties to the conflict and all Darfurians must be able to express their views freely and openly in Darfur.

The Secretary-General calls on the Government and all armed movements to fully engage in the Doha negotiations and to demonstrate their willingness to make real compromises in order to address the concerns of the Darfur population who have waited too long for peace.

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For information media • not an official record