United Nations (CNN) -- The security situation in war-ravaged Darfur shows no sign of improvement as fighting has intensified between rebel groups and the Sudanese government, the United Nations Security Council was told Tuesday.
"We are alarmed," U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said after hearing the report. "This deteriorating security situation is unacceptable and it needs to be effectively addressed".
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pointed out in his latest report that incidents of violence over recent months have surpassed bloodshed in the same time period last year by far.
"May was in fact the deadliest month in Darfur since UNAMID [joint United Nations-African Union mission] has deployed," Rice said. About 400 people lost their lives in May and another estimated 160 died by the government's aerial bombardment in June, officials said.
Envoy Ibrahim Gambari said U.N. staffers and aid agencies are frequently denied access by the government in Khartoum to the areas where fighting is taken place. Ban criticized the Sudanese government for failing to investigate and prosecute cases where peacekeepers are attacked.
CNN
