Violence erupts in outskirts of El Fasher

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- The head of the United Nations said clashes Monday between the Sudanese government and rebel forces in the Darfur region of the country threaten peace.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on the Sudanese government and rebel leaders to immediately end hostilities after a surge in violence around the outskirts of the north Darfur city of El Fasher, where the United Nations maintains its headquarters for the region.

U.N. officials operating in the region as part of the joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission reported that Sudanese government military aircraft engaged a militant rebel group, resulting in an outbreak in violence. The clash followed a surge in hostilities in the southern Darfur region of Muhajeriya on Jan. 15, the United Nations reported.

Despite ongoing efforts to jump-start the peace negotiations in Sudan, the situation remains tense.

"I call upon all warring parties to instantly cease hostilities and end this cycle of violence that would only add to the suffering of the people of Darfur," Rodolphe Adada, the Joint U.N.-AU special representative for Darfur, said in a statement.