EU urges Sudan to protect Darfur civilians

The European Union has urged the Sudanese authorities and rebel movements to protect civilians, after an outbreak of violence in the Darfur region left more than 168 people dead.

On Monday, fighting spread from a town near Geneina - the capital of West Darfur.

The EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has now called for plans to set up a joint military force with rebels who signed a peace deal.

A United Nations peacekeeping force withdrew from Darfur after its mandate expired at the end of 2020.

Since then there have been frequent outbreaks of inter-communal violence involving well-armed militias.

This article originally appeared in BBC News

Photo: AFP