16 August 2010 - An investigation is still under way into the abduction of the two police advisors who serve with the joint UN-AU peacekeeping force (UNAMID), which was set up to protect civilians and quell the violence in Darfur, where nearly seven years of fighting has killed at least 300,000 people and driven 2.7 million others from their homes.

“Continued attacks on UNAMID peacekeepers and abductions and mistreatment of UN staff and humanitarian workers will only aggravate the situation,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement.

The incident is the latest in a series of attacks against UNAMID personnel in recent months, and comes as tensions continue at the Kalma camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nyala, South Darfur.

Violence erupted at the camp late last month following the latest round of peace talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, aimed at bringing an end to the Darfur conflict, with some of the camp’s residents saying they were not fully represented.

Mr. Ban, according to the statement, appreciated the restoration today of some humanitarian access to Kalma camp, which is home to an estimated 82,000 people and which had been off limits to UN humanitarian agencies and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for nearly two weeks.