N'DJAMENA, Chad, May 6 (UPI) -- U.N. agencies in the volatile east of Chad are increasingly threatened by rebel groups, making the delivery of aid in the region a growing difficulty.
On Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on leaders in Chad and Sudan to respect the international laws surrounding the humanitarian status of the aid-agency workers in the region, the United Nations reported.
Chad's eastern region remains a growing humanitarian crisis situation. The ongoing violence in the Darfur region of Sudan, which borders Chad, has resulted in hundreds of thousands of people being forced into refugee camps in Chad.
The United Nations said that an increase in rebel violence in the region is threatening the delivery of humanitarian aid to an estimated 400,000 refugees and internally displaced persons.
"Any attempt at destabilization through violent means is unacceptable and reaffirms that Minurcat (the U.N. mission in the Central African Republic and Chad) will act within its mandate and capabilities to protect civilians threatened by armed elements," Ban's spokesperson said in a statement.
