02 March 2010 - Approximately 1,000 residents of El Fasher, North Darfur, staged a demonstration today, following the collapse of an investment money scheme in the region.

The protesters marched in the city centre demanding compensation for large amounts of money lost in a financial scheme, known locally as the “Mawaseer” market.

Thousands of residents from all three Darfur states had invested heavily in the market, which ran for over a year, and crashed last month.

Sporadic shooting has been heard at the beginning of the day and there were unconfirmed reports of casualties. UNAMID is carefully monitoring the situation, which has greatly calmed down. The Mission has advised its personnel to restrict their movements outside UNAMID facilities to the strict minimum.