US Calls on All Sides to End New Outbreak of Fighting in Darfur Region of Sudan

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - All parties involved in the recent outbreak of fighting in the Jebel Marra region of Darfur in Sudan must immediately end hostilities, US Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement.

"We call on all sides — the GoS [Government of Sudan] forces, SLA/AW [Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid], and armed tribal groups — to immediately halt their provocative actions and violent responses," the statement said on Friday.

Nauert noted in the statement that the United States is deeply concerned by the recent fighting in Darfur's Jebel Marra region.

"The government should permit immediate and unhindered access by the United Nations — African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), UN Country Team elements, and… humanitarian agencies to the areas where violence is taking place, as well as to displaced populations," Nauert said.

Sudanese President Omar Bashir has accused the United States of trying to split his country into at least five separate independent states.